WASHINGTON - Massive stone pinnacles near the highest reaches of this soaring structure are still rotated, moved out of place like a rattled LEGO set, a cathedral unsettled by shock waves of a magnitude 5.8 earthquake seven years ago.
With black scaffolding securing the top of the tallest central tower, effects of the August 23, 2011 earthquake are visible from all corners of the District.
But in an interview on Thursday, National Cathedral spokesman Kevin Eckstrom said work is half finished and money is to blame.
“We still have about $17 million in damage that needs to be repaired,” Eckstrom said. “If we were to get a check for all of it, tomorrow, we could have things finished in two years.”
A more likely time frame is ten years to complete all the structural reinforcements required to protect the cathedral from another quake.
All funds come from private donations, no money is contributed from the Episcopal Church, the federal government, or offerings from parishioners.
