“Just because you’re struggling doesn’t mean you’re failing.” ~ Unknown
Back in 2016, when the Oral History Association was held in Long Beach, California, I rented a car so Jeff, Judy, and I could do a little sightseeing during our downtime. At the time, I was in the thick of photographing churches, and Judy, a native southern Californian, knew about the nearby Wayfarer’s Chapel in Palos Verdes. I posted about the chapel here and here back in 2016. Judy sent this article from The Guardian about the chapel early this morning. All the rain southern California has gotten in the last year to erase the drought has devastated the ground beneath the chapel, and it’s sliding into the ocean at roughly seven inches a week. Glass is shattering, and the foundation is cracking. Being good stewards, the congregation, with the help of local preservationists and preservation orgs, are dismantling the chapel before more of it is destroyed. It will take around 20 million dollars to move and reconstruct it. Once the dismantling is over, the resurrection fundraising will start in earnest. In the last photo, you can see just how close it is to the cliff’s edge before the landslide began. This chapel is architecturally valuable and the brainchild of Frank Lloyd Wright’s son, FLW Jr. It was a bold mid-century structure in one of the most picturesque places on the planet. It’s the latest historic property endangered by climate change-generated extreme weather. I’m even more grateful to have seen it in its original location, and I look forward to seeing it further inland when the congregation gets it rebuilt.
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