Lilly gives National Cathedral $5 million for earthquake repairs
The Lilly Endowment is donating $5 million for repairs to Washington National Cathedral, exactly one year after a 5.8 magnitude earthquake severely damaged the historic structure. From the Washington Post:
Cathedral officials said they will mark the anniversary Thursday with the first major repair on the mammoth limestone structure in Northwest Washington — the replacement of a marred stone ornament called a crocket.They also plan prayers, blessings, and a ceremonial pealing of the cathedral bells.
Millions of dollars have been spent on the cathedral in the months since the earthquake, but that money went for stabilization of the structure and preparation for upcoming work, officials said.
The cathedral expressed its deep gratitude to the Lilly Endowment, noting that $2.4 million of the previously raised $2.8 million had been spent.
“The gift . . . makes an enormous amount of difference in our ability to restore this property,” the Rev. Francis H. Wade, interim dean of the cathedral, said Wednesday in an interview.
“The Lilly family has been an important part of this cathedral for a long time,” he said, noting that the family helped fund construction of the cathedral’s northwest tower in decades past. “They’ve been enormously helpful to us.”
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