California Lutheran University provides facilities for their students. Some of their venues also welcome members of the public for various events. Samuelson Chapel is one of those facilities. Located off Olsen Road via Campus Drive / Chapel Lane, the building sports a contemporary interpretation of a worship space.
An impressive freeform wall of blue-hued stained glass sets off the north/northwest façade. The chapel also features a large pipe organ on another part of the main stage area.
I'd expect that the facility is mostly used for worship services for the campus. It's also participating as a venue for the Candlelight Concert series presented by Fever Entertainment.
Dear Hubby and I, along with a group of dear friends, attended a Tribute to Taylor Swift last night with the candle glow illuminating the interior space. A magical feeling was in the air, with the candlelight balanced by the fading of twilight outside. Once the concert began, the excellent acoustics of the chapel took over.
Though we didn't get to hear the mighty organ for this particular performance, I would imagine that it's magnificent in this space. Seating is on upholstered pew benches on the main floor. There's also balcony seating; not sure whether that's individual chairs or more pews, as we were in Section B downstairs for the concert.
The main reason to deduct one star is that parking is quite limited. Especially for an event that brings the community to the campus, it was woefully lacking. It may be adequate for students who live on or near the campus if they can walk to the chapel. For others who aren't neighbors, and might not think of carpooling or taking Uber/Lyft, it didn't work out so well. One of our pals, who has a handicap placard, had to hoof it quite a ways, which wasn't ideal for her situation. The few handicap spaces close to the chapel were long gone when she arrived.
Overall, our group really enjoyed the event at this facility. I'll try to keep an eye out for an opportunity when someone may be playing the pipe organ. read more