The House of Worship that was Once a Home - Steve Tabor

The House of Worship that was Once a Home

Steve Tabor

How this once seaside retreat built on the cliffs of Palos Verdes Estates by John Joseph Haggarty, a women’s clothing company and store owner and his wife, became the home of the Neighborhood Church is remarkable.  The Church had a simple beginning in 1926 when Mr. and Mrs. George Gibbs, Jr. hosted Sunday school classes in their peninsula home.  Gatherings then moved to the Malaga Cove Library.  On February 14, 1937 the church held its first worship service in the Malaga School auditorium.  The church was formally incorporated as a non-denominational church on September 25, 1939.  Following the articles of incorporation, the church managed to purchase three parcels of land in the hopes of building a church.  In 1946 members voted to affiliate with the Congregational Church.  Later, it affiliated with the United Church of Christ in 1959.

In the early the days of the depression, Mr. Haggarty’s sold his seaside retreat, once valued at approximately $750,000, to the London Exploration Corporation.  Shortly after the sale, a Midwest financier, Henry Wheeler, used the property as private museum for his art collection.  Following Mr. Wheeler’s death, the London Exploration Corporation offered the property for sale at $250,000.  In 1950, acquiring the property for the church greatly interested the parishioners and they began a fundraising drive.  Parishioners could only raise $60,000 in pledges and donations, but they decided to arrange a meeting in New York with representatives of the London Exploration Corporation to discuss their offer.  The offer of $60,000 along with a $50 cash down payment was accepted by the Corporation.  However, the sale was contingent on a 30-day escrow.  Later, parishioners who made pledges towards the purchase of the property were repaid using the proceeds from the sale of the parcels owned by the congregation.

After acquiring the property, church members waited for nearly two years for the City of Palos Verdes Estates to complete the rezoning process allowing the property to be used for church purposes.

Converting the former seaside retreat into a sanctuary presented a creative challenge to the parishioners.  Designed by Armand Monaco and built in 1927, the Italian villa featured 32 rooms and surrounding grounds.  The interior design included hand-painted stenciled walls, custom built iron gates, and several works of arts created by renowned artists.  The grounds included a 30-foot-thick seawall built at the base of the cliffs to protect against the constant surge of the ocean tides.  In addition, the property’s grounds featured a saltwater Olympic size swimming pool fed by a water wheel pump housed in a stone grotto, a pool house, a pond, gardens, and a pier extending out from bottom of the cliffs below the seaside terrace. 

Although the Olympic size pool was replaced by a lawn, the property continues to feature a pond, the stone grotto and the sea cliff terrace.  Church members have created additional garden areas throughout the property.

Above the exterior entry hall’s doorway are Mr. Haggarty’s initials, JJH, along with a 3-leaf clover.  The painted scripture on the one of entry’s walls was completed by Cliff Graham in 1952 and was donated in observance of the first service held in the sanctuary.  The memorial portal rose window was donated by Ruth Graham in memory of Cliff Graham. 

The current sanctuary was once the Haggarty’s living room, known as the Great Hall.  In 1999, a Glatter-Götz pipe organ was donated to the Church by Ms. Sandy Barnett in memory of her husband, Barney.  Prior to installing the organ, the room featured windows on each side overlooking the bay and a baronial fireplace with the Haggarty family crest.  The fireplace was removed, and the windows were replaced by two circular stained-glass windows.  ‘The Dove’ stained-glass window is dedicated to long-time church member, George Gibbs, Jr.  Mr. Haggarty’s initials are still in place between the beams on the hand-painted ceiling.  The original wall sconces are still hanging in the sanctuary. 

Mr. Haggarty’s private living room and private entrance features a smaller version of the fireplace that once stood in the Great Hall.  The Haggarty Family Crest is hand-painted above the fireplace.  The hand-painted stenciled walls feature the Haggarty and Atkinson family coat of arms motifs symbolizing his father’s Irish and his mother’s English heritages.  The mural, “Springtime”, painted by A. Orselli is featured on the archway in the room. 

The narthex features the Renaissance Triptych which was painted in the style of Fra’ Bartolommeo of Florence [1472-1517].  The artwork was donated to the church by the Vanderlip family in 1982 after hanging in the Malaga Cove Library.  The stained-glass trapezoidal ceiling skylight was commissioned by Mr. Haggarty.  The room also houses the stairway that leads to two rooms in the tower. 

The Church’s Fellowship Hall whose space once served as a five-car garage was converted into a multiple purpose room with a small stage. The room is used for a variety of church gatherings and activities. 

Sunday worship services are conducted at 10:00 a.m.

John Joseph Haggarty

An English immigrant and businessman moved to the United States in 1887 and eventually took up residence in Los Angeles in 1902 with his second wife.  Within three years of his arrival, Mr. Haggarty had enough funds and had built a reputation that allowed him to establish the New York Cloak and Suit House in Los Angeles and to buy controlling interest in the Paris Cloak and Suit House.  He also owned another women’s clothing establishment, Palais de Modes of Los Angeles.

In 1906, Mr. Haggarty bought his first home in Los Angeles in the West Adams District.  The property became known as Castle York.  Its Norman Gothic architecture featured two towers on the north side of property.  A 40-foot-high tower standing on the northwest corner of the property resembled the towers of Windsor Castle.  The 50-foot tower on the northeast corner of the property was modeled after Yorkshire Castle.  It is estimated construction costs were approximately $100,000.  The property suffered a fire in 1951.  The main building on the property was torn down in 1971.

During this period, Mr. Haggarty became a member of the Gamut Club of Los Angeles.  The Club was originally established as a club for musicians, but eventually its membership included painters, sculptors, filmmakers and actors.  It is believed that this affiliation fueled Mr. Haggarty’s interest in expanding his art collection and incorporating his collection into his properties.

Although, Mr. Haggarty and his second wife continued their ownership of Castle York, in 1912, they built a second home in the City of Long Beach on Ocean Boulevard.  This residence eventually became the couple’s primary residence.  In 1927, they began construction a 15,000 square-foot third home on the Palos Verdes Peninsula as a retreat. 

Steve Tabor Bio

This South Bay native’s photographic journey began after receiving his first 35 mm film camera upon earning his Bachelor of Arts degree.  Steve began with photographing coastal landscapes and marine life.  As a classroom teacher he used photography to share the world and his experiences with his students.  Steve has expanded his photographic talents to include portraits and group photography, special event photography as well as live performance and athletics.  Steve serves as a volunteer ranger for the Catalina Island Conservancy and uses this opportunity to document the flora and fauna of the island’s interior as well as photograph special events and activities.

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