Wadsworth Chapel
Encyclopedia
Wadsworth Chapel, also known as the Catholic-Protestant Chapels, is actually two separate chapels under one roof on the campus of the Dept. of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in West Los Angeles, California
. The structure was built in 1900 and was closed in 1971 after being damaged in the 1971 Sylmar earthquake. It is the oldest building on Wilshire Boulevard
and was listed in the National Register of Historic Places
in 1972. The structure has fallen into a state of disrepair due to the lack of funds within the Dept. of Veterans Affairs to pay for the required repairs and renovation.
of the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers
. A series of Victorian dormitories were built in the 1890s, and Wadsworth Chapel was built in 1900 to provide a place of worship for the residents of the old soldiers’ home
.
The building actually contains two separate chapels separated by a double brick wall, with a Catholic chapel at the north end and a Protestant chapel at the south end. Each chapel has a separate entrance, with a tower and belfry
. Designed by J. Lee Burton, Wadsworth Chapel had been called an "intricate little jewel box" by Christopher Alexander, the associate curator of architecture for the Getty Research Institute
.
The building is noted for its eclectic exterior ornamentation and its combination of Colonial Revival (sometimes classified as Romanesque Revival
) and Carpenter Gothic
Victorian architecture
. The Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Board has described the Wadsworth Chapel and other original buildings on the Veterans campus as "the most monumental complex of Shingle-style
Queen Anne
structures ever constructed in the Los Angeles area." The 7500 square feet (696.8 m²) building was built at a cost of $12,400 in 1900 with redwood siding and 21 different types of windows.
Though the exterior has been painted all white since 1941, the exterior was originally stained in dark earth tones, with white trim, as shown in old postcards of the chapel. The Protestant chapel was damaged by fire in 1955. The VA lacked funds to repair all of the fire damage, and the balcony of the Protestant chapel has been closed since that time.
Both chapels have been closed to the public since the 1971 Sylmar earthquake loosened the foundation and caused the northeast bell tower to pull way from a gable. Since 1971, the chapel has fallen into an ever worsening state of disrepair, as the VA has been unable to fund necessary repair and restoration work. Despite its neglect for more than 35 years, preservation experts note that the building, the oldest remaining building on Wilshire Boulevard, is a prime candidate for “architectural resurrection.” The VA has estimated the cost of renovation to be $11.5 million, with the required work including replacement of the masonry foundation, seismic retrofit and asbestos and lead paint removal.
The expenditure of large sums to renovate the chapel has become a subject of controversy within the veteran community. With the VA lacking funds to provide necessary services to veterans of the Iraq War, many object to spending nearly $12 million to renovate a chapel that has been mothballed since 1972. In a 2007 Los Angeles Times
article, one veteran reflected ambivalence about the proposed renovation: “That is such a beautiful piece of workmanship and, yes, it cries out to be repaired..... At the same time, the veterans cry out to be repaired. It’s a moral issue.” Efforts by the Veterans Park Conservancy to raise private funds to pay for the renovation had been unsuccessful as of 2007. The Times noted: “The oldest building on Wilshire Boulevard is a fixerupper duplex of a most unusual sort.”
West Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
West Los Angeles is a district in Los Angeles, California, within a larger region known as the "Westside."-Geography and transportation:...
. The structure was built in 1900 and was closed in 1971 after being damaged in the 1971 Sylmar earthquake. It is the oldest building on Wilshire Boulevard
Wilshire Boulevard
Wilshire Boulevard is one of the principal east-west arterial roads in Los Angeles, California, United States. It was named for Henry Gaylord Wilshire , an Ohio native who made and lost fortunes in real estate, farming, and gold mining. Henry Wilshire initiated what was to become Wilshire...
and was listed in the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1972. The structure has fallen into a state of disrepair due to the lack of funds within the Dept. of Veterans Affairs to pay for the required repairs and renovation.
Early history
The 388 acres (1.6 km²) Dept. of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in West Los Angeles was deeded to the federal government in 1888 to build the Pacific BranchSawtelle Veterans Home
The Sawtelle Veterans Home was a care home for disabled American veterans in what is today part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area in California in the United States. The Home, formally the Pacific Branch of the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, was established in 1887 on of Rancho...
of the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers
National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers
The National Asylum for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers was established on March 3, 1865, in the United States by Congress to provide care for volunteer soldiers who had been disabled through loss of limb, wounds, disease, or injury during service in the Union forces in the Civil War...
. A series of Victorian dormitories were built in the 1890s, and Wadsworth Chapel was built in 1900 to provide a place of worship for the residents of the old soldiers’ home
Old soldiers' home
An old soldiers' home is a military veteran's retirement home, nursing home, or hospital, or sometimes even an institution for the care of the widows and orphans of a nation's soldiers, sailors, and marines, etc.-United States:...
.
Architecture
Bell tower
A bell tower is a tower which contains one or more bells, or which is designed to hold bells, even if it has none. In the European tradition, such a tower most commonly serves as part of a church and contains church bells. When attached to a city hall or other civic building, especially in...
. Designed by J. Lee Burton, Wadsworth Chapel had been called an "intricate little jewel box" by Christopher Alexander, the associate curator of architecture for the Getty Research Institute
Getty Research Institute
The Getty Research Institute , located at the Getty Center in Los Angeles, California, is "dedicated to furthering knowledge and advancing understanding of the visual arts". A program of the J...
.
The building is noted for its eclectic exterior ornamentation and its combination of Colonial Revival (sometimes classified as Romanesque Revival
Romanesque Revival architecture
Romanesque Revival is a style of building employed beginning in the mid 19th century inspired by the 11th and 12th century Romanesque architecture...
) and Carpenter Gothic
Carpenter Gothic
Carpenter Gothic, also sometimes called Carpenter's Gothic, and Rural Gothic, is a North American architectural style-designation for an application of Gothic Revival architectural detailing and picturesque massing applied to wooden structures built by house-carpenters...
Victorian architecture
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
. The Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Board has described the Wadsworth Chapel and other original buildings on the Veterans campus as "the most monumental complex of Shingle-style
Shingle Style architecture
The Shingle style is an American architectural style made popular by the rise of the New England school of architecture, which eschewed the highly ornamented patterns of the Eastlake style in Queen Anne architecture....
Queen Anne
Queen Anne Style architecture (United States)
In America, the Queen Anne style of architecture, furniture and decorative arts was popular in the United States from 1880 to 1910. In American usage "Queen Anne" is loosely used of a wide range of picturesque buildings with "free Renaissance" details rather than of a specific formulaic style in...
structures ever constructed in the Los Angeles area." The 7500 square feet (696.8 m²) building was built at a cost of $12,400 in 1900 with redwood siding and 21 different types of windows.
Though the exterior has been painted all white since 1941, the exterior was originally stained in dark earth tones, with white trim, as shown in old postcards of the chapel. The Protestant chapel was damaged by fire in 1955. The VA lacked funds to repair all of the fire damage, and the balcony of the Protestant chapel has been closed since that time.
Deterioration and renovation proposals
The expenditure of large sums to renovate the chapel has become a subject of controversy within the veteran community. With the VA lacking funds to provide necessary services to veterans of the Iraq War, many object to spending nearly $12 million to renovate a chapel that has been mothballed since 1972. In a 2007 Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
article, one veteran reflected ambivalence about the proposed renovation: “That is such a beautiful piece of workmanship and, yes, it cries out to be repaired..... At the same time, the veterans cry out to be repaired. It’s a moral issue.” Efforts by the Veterans Park Conservancy to raise private funds to pay for the renovation had been unsuccessful as of 2007. The Times noted: “The oldest building on Wilshire Boulevard is a fixerupper duplex of a most unusual sort.”
See also
- List of Registered Historic Places in Los Angeles
- Streetcar Depot, West Los AngelesStreetcar Depot, West Los AngelesThe Streetcar Depot on the grounds of the Veterans Administration Center in West Los Angeles, California was built in 1900. According to the book Los Angeles: An Architectural Guide, architect J. Lee Burton designed both the Streecar Depot and the Wadsworth Chapel, both of which were built in 1900...