The Legacy International Center & Hotel in San Diego's Mission Valley, a sprawling campus originally envisioned by late televangelist Morris Cerullo, is up for sale with a price tag of $215 million.
Designed by Carrier Johnson and completed in 2020, the nearly 18-acre property at Hotel Circle was designed as a global hub for Morris Cerullo's ministry, combining religious, hospitality, and entertainment spaces. Now, just four years later, the expansive campus has hit the market, with no immediate plans announced for the future of the center.
The property includes three primary structures: the Legacy Pavilion with a 500 person performing arts theater, a ballroom, library, restaurant, training facilities, conference centers and executive office; the 126-room Legacy Resort & Spa Hotel with a fitness center, pool and onsite restaurant Theresa's; and the Legacy Center, featuring a 100 seat 4-D dome cinema theater, and 18" by 28" Interactive LED Sphere and nine exhibit halls, all where religious services are regularly held by Morris Cerullo World Evangelism. Despite its ambitious design and intention to serve as an epicenter for Christian teachings, much of the property remains unused.
The center, which took nearly a decade to bring to life, features a five-story luxury resort with high-end amenities, event spaces, and rare architectural elements, including Jerusalem-imported stone. Described as an "architectural marvel" in the listing by Global Commercial Real Estate Services, the campus was intended to stand as a lasting testament to Cerullo's ministry, incorporating state-of-the-art technology and materials that are nearly impossible to replace.
Cerullo, a lifelong Christian evangelist and San Diego resident, had big plans for the property when he purchased it in 2011. After acquiring the site, previously the Mission Valley Resort, out of foreclosure, Cerullo envisioned turning it into a "religious Disneyland" that would not only serve his followers but also attract visitors of all faiths. In 2017, the San Diego City Council approved the $130-160 million project, which included a resort, restaurants, an international market, a 4-D theater, a performing arts venue, and a replica of Jerusalem's Wailing Wall. Construction began in 2018, and the project was completed two years later.
Morris Cerullo was an American Pentecostal evangelist who began preaching Christian gospel in the early 1950s. He was a controversial figure to many due to his opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage. Cerullo was once expelled from India for religious disturbances in the early 1990s and was also criticized for trying to convert Jews to Christianity. Cerullo was also indicted in California at one point for failing to report income, although those charges were subsequently dismissed. He died from pneumonia on July 11, 2020, at the age of 88.
Legacy International Center, Hotel & Spa is located at 875 Hotel Circle South in San Diego's Mission Valley. For more information, visit legacyresortandspa.com.