A decade after an earthquake struck the Washington National Cathedral, repairs are still coming along. But, a combination of a grant and donations totaling about $750,000 will speed the recovery along.
Last month, the National Fund for Sacred Places gave the cathedral a $250,000 grant. The Philadelphia-based organization makes grants to historic sites.
In addition to the funding, the Cathedral will raise an extra $500,000 in matching funds, increasing the bottom line and the amount of repairs.
The money will allow the Cathedral to fully restore several large buttresses along the South side of the campus that were damaged during the 5.8-magnitude quake. Construction crews will also be able to reopen a handicapped-accessible entrance that has been mostly closed since the incident.
“The Cathedral has received the prayers and petitions of generations of Americans, and it is vital that we shore up these walls to meet a new century of ministry to the nation,” said Very Rev. Randolph Marshall Hollerith, dean of the Cathedral, in a media briefing.
The beginning stages of the repair work are already underway and should be completed by the end of next year.
(CORRECTION Nov. 8, 2021, 3:45 p.m.: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the earthquake’s magnitude. This story has been updated.)
