Schuller Plans Retreat Center in Haiku, Maui : Conversion of Estate Given by Philanthropist Receives Tentative OK

The Rev. Robert Schuller will convert 43 acres of prime real estate in Hawaii donated to his ministry by a Newport Beach philanthropist into a haven for group spiritual encounters, a spokesman for the minister said Thursday.

Michael Nason said that Schuller, pastor of the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove and host of the weekly television program “The Hour of Power,” appeared earlier this week before a planning commission in Haiku on the island of Maui to seek approval to convert the century-old Baldwin Manor estate into a “renewal center” for his followers.

Nason said the planning commission gave Schuller tentative approval to spend $500,000 to make changes on the property. The commission is expected to take a final vote at its next meeting in two weeks, Nason said.

“The improvements, including construction of a parking lot, are necessary to qualify it for the city’s zoning requirements,” Nason said.

The value of the estate is not known, Nason said. The 43-acre parcel on one of Hawaii’s most scenic islands was donated to Schuller’s ministry last year by Athalie Richardson Irvine Clark, a Newport Beach philanthropist.

Nason said Clark and Schuller are longtime friends and that she has “a long-term relationship with his ministry.”

The Hawaii center, when completed, will be the second such project Schuller has added to his ministry, Nason said. Two weeks ago, Schuller opened a similar retreat center on 90 acres at Rancho Capistrano in San Juan Capistrano.