On Shaky Ground : Costs of Seismic Shoring May Doom Tiny Seaside Church

City officials have ordered seismic improvements for a tiny cathedral built from the rubble of the 1933 Long Beach earthquake, but St. Francis by-the-Sea’s archbishop says the historic church cannot afford such a project and might have to be razed instead.

“We’ve been told we may have to demolish, or think of demolishing, the church unless we are going to be retrofitting it properly,” American Catholic Church Archbishop Simon Talarczyk said. “And we don’t have the funding.”

Talarczyk said a preliminary estimate shows that the job of reinforcing the small structure would cost about $50,000.

Once listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the smallest cathedral on Earth, the American Catholic Church on Park Avenue is considered a historic treasure in Laguna Beach, where it was dedicated as a national landmark three years ago.

Able to accommodate 65 worshipers, the Cathedral Chapel of St. Francis by-the-Sea is the only American Catholic Church in the state, Talarczyk said. The denomination is an obscure offshoot of the Roman Catholic Church but is not affiliated with it.

Richard Norris, who has been the church’s organist for 10 years, said the church’s founder and first bishop, Percy Wise Clarkson, went to Long Beach after the 1933 quake, collected bricks and hauled them back to build the tiny cathedral. He studied architecture, understood construction methods and helped build the church, Norris said.

The interior decoration is heavily influenced by his non-traditional background, which includes elements of Eastern religion. A zodiac is tucked under the baptistery and the words reincarnation and spiritual healing are written on wooden beams that rise above statues of Jesus and the Virgin Mary.

“It’s not only a religious institution but it is a landmark worthy of preservation,” Talarczyk said.

The conflict of earthquake safety and historic value poses a prickly problem for the city of Laguna Beach, which has listed the church as a highlight among its historic buildings.

Samir Ghosn, a city plan checker, said the church is one of about 30 buildings in Laguna Beach that were tagged for upgrading after a 1990 citywide survey of brick structures determined that some were not earthquake-safe. The buildings, which include the downtown movie theater, must be reinforced according to state law, he said.

The church has been listed as a medium-risk building, Ghosn said, because the brick walls are not strengthened with steel.

Generally, engineers working with such buildings can meet the safety requirements without destroying the aesthetics and historic value of the structure, Ghosn said.

But Talarczyk said the real challenge will be finding the money to pay for the work.

“We could not even be able to match half of what was requested. Our collections are barely enough to pay for the utilities,” Talarczyk said. “If we don’t get the money to begin some construction, then the only thing we have to do is demolish the building. That’s all we can do.”