Calvary Chapel, a gem of the city
Here's hoping the center's sale might let the community again enjoy the world-class resort
It was once a world-class resort open to all.
Now it’s a Christian conference center with limited public access.
That’s why many people who live in Murrieta have never seen the place. It’s sad.
All that could change with the big news that Calvary Chapel’s Christian Conference Center and Bible College is up for sale. Its estimated value is $50 million.
From the perspective of somebody who’s lived in Murrieta 32 years and visited there many times after I moved here, I can say it’s far and away the coolest thing about the community.
Rebecca Farnbach, who cowrote a history book about the place, hopes it becomes a big resort that attracts people from all over the planet.
Like what it was originally. Built in 1902 at what are now Murrieta Hot Springs and Margarita roads, it transformed Murrieta, which previously was a pioneer farming community. The resort was an area known for a good party and was dubbed “Whiskey Row.” Not exactly Christian like it is now.
Farnbach’s book is “Images of America: Murrieta Hot Springs,” co-written with Marvin Curran, Tony Guenther and Loretta Barnett. In it is an advertisement that dubs the place “California’s Greatest Health Resort.” It was popular with Jewish people from Los Angeles and Hollywood celebrities such as John Wayne.
“It brought culture and people from different backgrounds and lifestyles to stretch and enrich the experiences of Murrieta people who interacted with them,” Farnbach says.
More than a century later, Murrieta residents could once again use some stretching.
Today we’re just part of the suburban blob, filled with strip malls and housing tracts as far as the eye can see. The property is a chance to switch things up in Murrieta, put the town on the map as something distinct, not as conventional as most consider now.
The resort has had many versions. It fell into bankruptcy and was rescued by a vegetarian group that ran it like a retreat. It changed hands again in the late 1980s, about the time we moved to Murrieta, becoming a resort once again. We bought monthly pool passes for just $50 and swam there constantly the first summer we lived here in 1989. At the time, it was the only public pool in Murrieta and it was like visiting Europe with the languages from foreigners who visited there.
After the economic crash of the early 1990s left the place in shambles, Calvary bought the 43-acre property in 1995 and did a big-time renovation, spending $38 million. The place was initially still open to the public, but over time, access grew more limited. What a shame.
The site’s details speak to what it could be. There is a hot springs with a pool, soaking spots and a separate spa. There is a lake, nine tennis courts and a renovated sports field.
There are 38 buildings, 248 residential rooms that can sleep 1,200, two auditoriums, a commercial kitchen, dining halls, classrooms, meeting spaces, administration offices and 714 parking spaces.
The possibilities for the place are almost endless. Another religious group could buy it and keep the current use. It could be used by a school, converted into a medical facility, made a housing development or revert to its original life: a big resort open to all, my preferred choice.
If only I had $50 million.