Lomaland

The facility was important to the growing city of San Diego for its cultural offerings, and it left a lasting legacy in its campus (now Point Loma Nazarene University) which still retains many of the unique architectural features of the original Lomaland.

Led by Katherine Tingley, the group came to Point Loma to establish a community that would model the philosophical and humanitarian goals of Theosophy.

The "White City" envisioned by Tingley was to be located on the extreme western edge of the North American continent but oriented toward India, the spiritual center of Theosophical beliefs.

The blend of new world confidence, Victorian morality, a love of antiquity, and Indian spirituality created a unique community that found its expression in architecture that is still visible on the campus of Point Loma Nazarene University.

Gottfried de Purucker visited Point Loma in 1894, and in 1896 he met Katherine Tingley in Geneva where he spoke about the place.

In 1897 Tingley bought a piece of land at Point Loma, and in February 1897 she laid the first stone for a School for the Revival of the Lost Mysteries of Antiquity (SRLMA).

Agricultural experimentation was essential to the Lomaland community's desire to be self-sufficient in all respects, and the group imported and tried many different types of plants and trees including avocados, oranges, and other fruit.

"Raja Yoga" meant divine union, and the educational goals of the school involved not only the intellect, but also moral and spiritual development.

The entrance to the Temple of Peace was dominated by two massive carved doors that symbolized the Theosophical Principles of spiritual enlightenment and human potential.

The building combines late-Victorian wooden architecture with historical motifs such as the modified Corinthian column (now shaped like a papyrus leaf) and flattened arches.

The amethyst dome was restored by a team of scholars led by Dr. Dwayne Little of the department of history and political science at Point Loma Nazarene University in 1983.

After Wood died, Dwight Stanford helped purchase the property for the struggling Balboa University, a deal which was finalized on September 15, 1950.

USIU moved to Scripps Ranch and in 2001 it merged with California School of Professional Psychology to form Alliant International University.