Archinect - News

Lloyd Wright's Wayfarers Chapel updates disassembly progress

2024-06-27T12:27:00-04:00

The disassembly of Lloyd Wright's treasured Wayfarers Chapel in Rancho Palos Verdes, California — necessitated by months of "accelerated land movement" at its 3.5-acre site in the Los Angeles suburbs this winter — is underway as the group responsible for its stewardship looks for a suitable relocation spot in the hopes of saving the beloved design.

An update on its demolition has been documented via Instagram by Architectural Resources Group, the firm tasked with its careful disassembly. There is no location outlined yet — though options include a former Nike missile site about 3 miles away — according to our last update.

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The Guardian unpacks the demise of Lloyd Wright's Wayfarers Chapel in California

2024-06-02T08:00:00-04:00

This month, Wayfarers Chapel is being dismantled, an emergency attempt to save the structure’s irreplaceable redwood, steel and stone components in the wake of a devastating landslide. By taking it apart now, before it’s too twisted and broken to ever reconfigure, the chapel’s leaders hope to give it a second life someday on stable ground. They don’t have the cash yet for a rebuild, but they’re doing what they can at this critical moment: spending nearly half a million dollars on triage.

The group responsible for the Wayfarers Chapel announced its closure and plans to dismantle earlier this year following months of "accelerated land movement" beneath its 3.5-acre site in the Los Angeles suburb of Rancho Palos Verdes. The Guardian says the city is "working with chapel leaders to find a land-stable spot nearby to store the chapel’s pieces — one option is a former Nike missile site about 3 miles away."

The 73-year-old Lloyd Wright glass design had become an Instagram favorite and popular wedding destination in recent years.

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Lloyd Wright's landmarked Wayfarers Chapel to be disassembled due to landslides

2024-05-14T18:42:00-04:00

Lloyd Wright's historic closed Wayfarers Chapel in Rancho Palos Verdes, California, will be disassembled in the face of irreparable landslide damage, the group responsible for its stewardship announced via a press release Tuesday.

Architectural Resources Group will handle the disassembly work with great care, as the LA Times and other outlets have reported its structure is rapidly deteriorating from the movement underneath its foundation, which is now occurring at rates 2–3 times more severe than was recorded back in February.

The firm's principal, Katie Horak, told the outlet: "With each passing day, more of this material is lost or irreparably damaged. Our team is working against the clock to document and move these building components to safety so that they can be put back together again."

Previously on Archinect: Lloyd Wright's landmark Wayfarers Chapel closes indefinitely due to landslide threat

"The chapel will not be able to withstand much more damage before it becomes imposs...

Lloyd Wright's landmark Wayfarers Chapel closes indefinitely due to landslide threat

2024-02-21T12:08:00-05:00

Lloyd Wright’s Wayfarers Chapel closed its doors to the public abruptly last week due to the threat of landslides that have afflicted the Los Angeles area and its site in Rancho Palos Verdes.

In a statement posted to the Chapel’s website, the ministry responsible for its stewardship cited “accelerated land movement” in the area as the reason for its immediate temporary closure.

Rancho Palos Verdes, which is a 12.3-square-mile incorporated city in coastal Los Angeles County, has been particularly impacted by winter storms since early February and is seeking to have a state of emergency declared for recent damage that’s compounded already dangerous landslide conditions.

A local official told the LA Times, “In some areas, [the land] is moving up to 10 feet a year. That’s significant movement, and we’re seeing the damage that’s being sustained throughout the community. We have approximately 400 homes that are threatened by this landslide.”

Completed by the eldest son of Frank Lloyd Wrig...

Lloyd Wright's infamous Sowden House purchased by "marijuana millionaire"

2019-06-13T13:25:00-04:00

In Los Angeles, where even houses get their proverbial close-ups as TV or movie locations, a property’s appeal can crest on its IMDb credits alone. But only the Sowden House in the Los Feliz neighborhood can claim film cameos, a pedigreed architect and a history as the possible site of a grisly unsolved murder. Never mind the fact that the exterior entryway resembles a menacing maw, earning it the apt nickname “the Jaws house.”

The Sowden House, in Los Feliz, California, has one of the most storied pasts in architecture and Hollywood history. Designed by Lloyd Wright, son of Frank Lloyd Wright, the home was completed in 1926 for John and Ruth Sowden as a "bohemian playhouse for aspiring actors and Hollywood bons vivants," according to the New York Times.

Interior of Sowden House. Photographer unknown.

The home has since changed hands more than five times (while racking up a slew of controversies, including being the alleged site of the Black Dahlia murder in 1947 and otherwise being known as a host for lurid late night parties), and has most recently been acquired for $4.7 million by event planner Jenny Landers and "marijuana millionaire" Dan Goldfarb, an entrepreneur, former hedge fund analyst and founder of Canna-Pet, a company producing "the only legal, veterinarian-recommended, non-prescription CBD products for animals."

Since acquiring the home last year, the couple has hosted numerous events, includi...

Lloyd Wright's LA Samuel-Novarro House for sale

2016-09-28T13:38:00-04:00

The Samuel Novarro House in Los Angeles, designed by Lloyd Wright, the son of Frank Lloyd Wright, has just been put up for sale. Built in 1928, the Art Deco house has been restored and comes with original Wrightian accents throughout, such as oxidized copper accents.

Located in ritzy “the Oaks” neighborhood of Los Feliz, the home has a stunning pool and equally lovely landscaping. The 3-bedroom, 3-bath house also comes equipped with a recently restored kitchen. The house is listed for $4.295 million and was previously sold for $3.8 million.

[Correction] Originally this article stated the architect of this house was Frank Lloyd Wright. It was Frank Lloyd Wright's son, Lloyd Wright.

More images in the gallery.

For more on the Wright family, check out these articles:

Lloyd Wright's Palos Verdes Moore House Demolished Today

2012-04-26T00:13:00-04:00

After a short day of demolition, the Lloyd Wright-designed Moore House in Palos Verdes Estates is gone. The city council denied an LA Conservancy appeal of the demo last night and the Conservancy's Director of Communications Cindy Olnick tells us she's just heard from the city that the deed is now completely done.. the current owner bought it in 2004 and says he never even knew who Wright was. For years now the owner has been trying to tear the house down and build a Mediterranean-style house...