National Cathedral Repair: 2-Ton Pieces To Be Removed From Church

By BRETT ZONGKER, Associated Press

WASHINGTON -- Damaged portions of a Washington National Cathedral pinnacle will be removed from the church temporarily after it was damaged by a 5.8-magnitude earthquake.

The pieces weighing 2 tons will be removed Thursday morning by crane from the southeast grand pinnacle of the central tower. The pieces were damaged by an Aug. 23 earthquake.

Church officials say the pieces are being removed to make the pinnacles and central tower more stable until stonework can be repaired. Then they will be put back in place.

The Cathedral has also arranged with a rappelling team of engineers who inspected the Washington Monument's earthquake damage to also evaluate damage to the gothic cathedral. It's not clear when that work will take place.

The cathedral was completed in 1990 after 83 years of work.

Comments

[bbriani3842]

07:39 AM on 10/15/2011

Mr. President, tear down this Hall ....

[bbriani3842]

07:38 AM on 10/15/2011

National Cathedral, huh?

Is there a National Mosque? A National Synagogue? A National Temple? A National Spire (around which Jedis could meet)?

Just wondering ...

[IrisMozenter]

07:46 AM on 10/15/2011

I was just hoping our tax dollars are not being used to pay for this.

[bbriani3842]

08:04 AM on 10/15/2011

Does the National Cathedral receive any funds through the Faith-based Initiative scheme?

Then apply this action to concept of "fungible" .... one more example of hypocrisy.

http://www.pntonline.com/news/shows-24536-fungible-hypocrisy.html

[bbriani3842]

07:33 AM on 10/15/2011

Please feel free to continue removing the rest of the pieces ... turn the land into a park or something.

[galanos1]

07:35 PM on 10/13/2011

Great Symbolic of progress, should be restored and respected.

[bbriani3842]

07:38 AM on 10/15/2011

Restored? I guess ... but only with private funds.

Respected? Not on your life.

[alterego55]

05:25 PM on 10/13/2011

Why not remove the cathedral and keep the pieces?

[rich3324]

04:32 PM on 10/13/2011

2 ton pieces being removed from the church. Was Rush occupying the Cathedral?

[mac2jr]

09:50 AM on 10/13/2011

Source Wikipedia:
Construction
In 1792, Pierre L'Enfant's "Plan of the Federal City" set aside land for a "great church for national purposes." The National Portrait Gallery now occupies that site. In 1891, a meeting was held to renew plans for a national cathedral. In 1893, the Protestant Episcopal Cathedral Foundation of the District of Columbia was granted a charter from Congress to establish the cathedral. The commanding site on Mount Saint Alban was chosen. Henry Yates Satterlee, first Episcopal Bishop of the Diocese of Washington, chose Frederick Bodley, England's leading Anglican church architect, as the head architect. Henry Vaughan was selected supervising architect.
Construction started September 29, 1907, with a ceremonial address by President Theodore Roosevelt and the laying of the cornerstone. In 1912, Bethlehem Chapel opened for services in the unfinished cathedral, which have continued daily ever since. When construction of the cathedral resumed after a brief hiatus for World War I, both Bodley and Vaughan had died. Gen. John J. Pershing led fundraising efforts for the church after World War I. American architect Philip Hubert Frohman took over the design of the cathedral and was thenceforth designated the principal architec

[bbriani3842]

07:33 AM on 10/15/2011

L'Enfant was wrong.

[mac2jr]

09:47 AM on 10/13/2011

Source Wikipedia:
The National Cathedral Association (NCA) seeks to raise and provide funds for and promote the Washington National Cathedral. Across the United States, it has more than 14,000 members, more than 88 percent of whom live outside the Washington area, and who are divided into committees by state. Visitors to the cathedral provide another significant source of funds, through donations and group touring fees. Every year, each state has a state day at the cathedral, on which that state is recognized by name in the prayers. Over a span of about four years, each state is further recognized at a Major State Day, at which time those who live in the state are encouraged to make a pilgrimage to the cathedral and dignitaries from the state are invited to speak. American state flags were displayed in the nave until 2007; currently the display of the state flags alternates throughout the year with the display of liturgical banners hung on the pillars, reflecting the seasons of the Church year.

The budget, $27 million in 2008, was trimmed to $13 million in 2010. Staff was reduced from 170 to 70. There was an endowment of $50 million.[2]

[stevesrant]

12:47 PM on 10/13/2011

Thanks for the hitorical and current facts.

[davidlugh]

03:49 PM on 10/13/2011

so we can presume these same people will be paying in full for all repairs? or does my Medicare cut need to go toward this?

[prestonsturges]

07:00 PM on 10/13/2011

It's a private building, if you wanna donate, go ahead.

[MirrorMonkey]

06:58 PM on 10/14/2011

So, you *really* don't know that Episcopalian churches are private institutions that are not built or funded by the government?

Frightening.

[jmarworth]

08:54 AM on 10/13/2011

Close the cathedral, tear it down, and plant trees. This ugly building is a disgrace on the
Washington skyline.

[mac2jr]

09:52 AM on 10/13/2011

It is a Major tourism attraction and brings paying customers into the city, which is a major benefit, and 'beauty' is in the eyes of the beholder, many love the architecture, as do I.

[Michael73501]

03:10 PM on 10/13/2011

Ahhhh. Architectural bigotry !

[Alan Christian]

06:43 AM on 10/13/2011

I am amazed that people would assume the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. was paid for by government funds. It would seem logical for even the least educated among us to understand the government is not in the business of buiding churches or cathedrals. I suppose when you don't know you don't know, it is fine to say stupid things.

[mac2jr]

09:50 AM on 10/13/2011

Funding for the National Cathedral has come entirely from private sources. Maintenance and upkeep continue to rely entirely upon private support. Public funding, if attempted, would likely be challenged as a violation of the First Amendment's Establishment clause.

Source Wikipedia

[Sunwyn Ravenwood]

12:04 AM on 10/15/2011

Then why is it called the National Cathedral? They should bloody well change the name.

[grover2hb]

01:46 AM on 10/13/2011

WHO'S paying for this now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[bugelboy]

05:07 AM on 10/13/2011

Your Motha!!!!!!!!!!!
That's who!!!!!

[visconti24]

10:43 AM on 10/13/2011

Can't you read?

[petcraft]

11:52 PM on 10/12/2011

'An ounce is worth a pound of cure', I've always heard. It's far better to remove it now than to let someone get hurt of killed if or when these large pieces fall.

[svvalkyrie]

02:29 AM on 10/13/2011

Nay, it would be seen as an act of god, no judgement.

[krausee]

04:31 AM on 10/13/2011

It was George Bush's fault.

[alterego55]

05:26 PM on 10/13/2011

An ounce is what you smoke while waiting for the pound to cure.

[petcraft]

11:22 AM on 10/14/2011

Yes ! This is definitely another way to say it !

[hattie54]

11:45 PM on 10/12/2011

Lots of famous folk are buried here inc Anne Sullivan and Helen Keller ( urns behind a wall ) and Pres Woodrow Wilson on the first floor near the altar ( but on the side near a window ).Most are buried in the crypts.

[Asmodean1]

10:34 AM on 10/13/2011

Actually Helen has her own little chapel where she is interred in the crypt.

[hattie54]

03:55 PM on 10/13/2011

All I saw was her name on the wall with Anne Sullivan.I did see her crypt too.

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?GRid=567&page=gr

[topop102]

08:33 PM on 10/12/2011

so it took 83 years to build and it only lasted 21 years. they could have carved it out of a mountain in 83 years. typical gUvement job.

I hope the crane doesn't turn over this time !

[cgdevasconcellos]

08:54 PM on 10/12/2011

It was not a government job. That is a private building and it took so long to build it because the construction was paid for with private donations, drives, raffles and lotteries. Money would be collected for a section or a chapel or a spire and that part would be built. Then an appeal would be made for another section. That is how it was built.

[topop102]

09:31 PM on 10/12/2011

i see well thats neat. but why do they call it the national cathedral?

[sakovkt]

10:45 PM on 10/12/2011

Thanks for the information and intelligent posts.

The aricle left a lot to be desired and some of the other posts, even more.

[calderasf]

10:13 PM on 10/12/2011

It did not fall down learn to read and comprehend a story instead of just spitting out FOX talking points. Let me know when another gov't walks on the moon ok! Move to Africa I believe there forms of gov't are better then ours go see for yourself and let us know. You can try Russia their a democracy now yes? China even lets you protest from your jail cell.

[topop102]

10:53 PM on 10/12/2011

sh-ut the he-ll up

[tr00fdetector3]

10:56 PM on 10/12/2011

FOX didnt say it fell down, hater!

[richkhill55]

07:21 PM on 10/12/2011

They are fixing all the monuments,what about the roads???

[cgdevasconcellos]

08:15 PM on 10/12/2011

The church that owns the National Cathedral has no obligation to fix roads. The Episcopalians will have to raise the funds and pay for the repairs. The fact that they call it National does not in any way mean that the cathedral is connected with the government.

[calderasf]

10:14 PM on 10/12/2011

Well you have to talk to the party of NO they refuse to repair roads the rich use private jets to get around.

[Asmodean1]

12:56 AM on 10/13/2011

I was there this past summer when i was in DC. I love going to service there. It is what a testament to "god" should be. stunning.