The historic North Chapel located at Liberty Station in Point Loma, was built in 1942 by the United States Navy on the Naval Training Center, San Diego, as a place of worship for thousands of recruits and servicemen. The building was used for more than 50 years as the place for religious services, wedding, funerals and gatherings. Hundreds of weddings took place in the Chapel and today, couples come back to visit and reminisce about their tour of duty at the former training center and its impact on their careers and lives.

The North Chapel was restored in 2007. The chapel rings in a new era today after its exquisite restoration that retained the original structure and historical components. Not only does it play host to brides and grooms throughout the year and serve as a very special venue for memorial services, it is also becoming a sought-after destination for plays, memorial services, concerts and choir performances. In the past, the two-story non-denominational chapel served thousands of military personnel stationed at the Naval Training Center between 1942 and 1997. It was the venue for a variety of causes and celebrations, from worship to weddings, by recruits and other Navy personnel as well as for Navy ships stationed here or visiting the San Diego Port.

The restoration of the North Chapel, a Spanish Colonial Revival-style architecture, brought fresh white stucco paint to the exterior and re-roofing of the red tile building. The beautiful stained glass windows depicting religious and naval scenes by well-known artist Fred Wieland were restored and cleaned. The electrical system was replaced and upgraded, the historical light fixtures were preserved, plumbing and heating systems were upgraded and replaced, the wooden hand carved pews and pulpit were refurbished and the interior flooring was replaced with new red carpet throughout the chapel. Hitting major renovation high notes were the replacement of the outdoor music system that provides bell rings for the chapel and modernization of the sanctuary’s original Roger’s pipe organ and an installation of a state of the art sound system and lighting.

The North Chapel is a privately owned Chapel and is available on a rental basis to the general public. Because the Chapel is privately owned, this affords flexibility to the public for many types of non-denominational services such as weddings and funerals. Because of the acoustical quality of the North Chapel and the sound system that is available, the venue can also be used for concerts. The North Chapel provides seating for up to 300 guests and boasts a restored pipe organ, state-of-the-art sound system, and supporting equipment including mixing board, wireless hand-held microphones, lapel microphones, etc., and a digital carillon system, which produces the signature bell tones that you might find at a large cathedral.

Stain Glass Windows
The stained glass windows at The North Chapel at Liberty Station were designed and created by Fred Wieland, who was a native of Germany, studied in New York City at the Art Student League and was a member of the San Diego Museum of Art Artists Guild.

Mr. Wieland arrived in San Diego in 1930. He is well known for designing and creating the stained glass windows of St. Joseph Roman Catholic Cathedral in San Diego, St. Didacus Church and the Veterans Museum and Memorial Center, which was the sister chapel to The North Chapel, and served veterans at Balboa Hospital. Another church where Fred Wieland’s stained glass work may be found is located at Polk Avenue and Park Boulevard and is the former Park Boulevard Methodist Episcopal Church.

The windows at The North Chapel were installed in 1942, when the Department of the Navy at the Naval Training Center was built. These windows are designed to tell the stories of the Old Testament and the New Testament. Some windows have an emblem of Moses’ Ten Commandants placed at the top of the window. These scenes are from the Old Testament. Other windows have a cross on the top and depict scenes from the New Testament. Each window has been carefully designed to match a story from the Bible to a job that an enlisted Navy sailor would assume on a ship.

When walking into the Chapel and looking at the south side of the building you will see the first window, which depicts the aviation ordinance job. The second window on the left is the globe/compass or navigator for the ship. The third window depicts the signal man. The fourth window is a tribute to the USN sailor, the words “For God and Country” are written on the bottom of the window. The model for this window was Henry Fonda. The fifth window on the left is the communications/cryptologist technician.

Walking from the altar to the entrance of the church you will find the first window depicting the job of a repairman. The second window on the north side of the Chapel is depicting the machinist. The third window is the quartermaster who steers the ship on the deck. The next window is the boatswain’s mate. The fifth window is the yeoman, secretary to the commander and the sailor who writes the journal of the ship. The sixth window is the radio man, responsible for communicating with land-based operations. The last window on the north side is the window depicting the disbursing clerk/keymaster or bookkeeper. The window on the north side of the chancel is a beautiful depiction of the exiting of the animals on Noah’s Ark.

The four windows in the small Chapel, adjacent to the North Chapel through a door on the north side are celebrating communion. Seen on the north side is the chalice of wine, the chaff of wheat and the grape vine.