Wadsworth Chapel | Los Angeles Conservancy
Photo by Larry Underhill

Wadsworth Chapel

The oldest remaining building on Wilshire, this late-Victorian chapel was erected before the boulevard even existed in this part of Los Angeles.

It is the last remaining example of a neighborhood of Victorian structures officially named the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, founded in 1887 to care for volunteer soldiers of the Civil War and Indian wars. 

Now called the Veterans Affairs West Los Angeles Healthcare Center, the campus has housed and cared for generations of U.S. soldiers.

The unique Wadsworth Chapel was designed to serve Protestants on one side and Catholics on the other.

Its detailing, window patterns, bell tower, and to some extent, interiors, remain intact. Yet it needs millions of dollars in repair and restoration and is currently closed to the public.

Gallery: 
Marc Wanamaker/Bison Archives
Aerial view of National Soldier's Home, 1921.

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