Mormons Celebrate 60 Years in Manhattan Beach

From a press release:

Members of the Manhattan Beach Ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are celebrating two important milestones this year: 60 years as a ward (congregation) and the 50th anniversary of the completion of the Manhattan Beach Chapel.

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A celebration will be held at the chapel on the evening of Saturday, Nov. 15.

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have been an integral part of the South Bay community for many decades and today thousands of Mormons call the South Bay home.

In Manhattan Beach, church members are active in the community and are committed to making a positive difference in our neighborhoods and communities.

The Manhattan Beach Ward was established in 1954 as an increasing number of Mormons moved into the area. At that time, the South Bay’s Latter-day Saints (Mormons) all congregated at the Spanish Revival-style Mormon chapel then located at the corner of Broadway and Emerald in Redondo Beach.

With the organization of the Manhattan Beach Ward, church leaders decided that a new chapel should be built here in Manhattan Beach. On Rowell Street, they found a chicken farm on two acres with two small houses. The property had previously been considered as a place to build a hospital, but the time was right for the new Mormon chapel to be built and they paid $38,000 for the land in 1958.

Because Mormon chapels never carry a mortgage, church members got busy earning and donating money, and working to construct the building nights and weekends to help the contractor. They hauled truckloads of rock for the building’s façade, installed the electrical, air conditioning and plumbing systems.

One church member even made all the clocks by hand. The total cost: a bit over $365,000.

The church members held their first meeting in the new chapel on June 28, 1964.

The church invites neighbors and members of the community to learn more about this piece of Manhattan Beach history, and to participate in a celebration of our 60th anniversary as a Mormon congregation in Manhattan Beach. The event will be 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15, 2014 at the church, 501 N. Rowell Ave., Manhattan Beach.

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