National Cathedral to Reopen Nov. 12, Repairs to Cost at Least $25 Million

Washington National Cathedral officials now estimate that the necessary repairs for damage caused by the August earthquake and future operating costs will require at least $25 million, according to a prepared statement. Of that at least $15 million will go to initial repairs and then an additional $10 million will go toward operating costs.

The cathedral will reopen Nov. 12 in time for the consecration of the Rev. Dr. Mariann Edgar Budde as the ninth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington.

A 5.8 magnitude earthquake shook the D.C. region on Aug. 23 and had a "" on the cathedral, which lost ornamental structures and displaced finials from the pinnacle at the top of the cathedral's inconic towers.

Officials now expect the repairs to take years and the costs to be in the millions. The short term goals for the cathedral involve stabilizing the building, re-opening, and "continuing its operations and mission," according to a statement. But the overall restoration will be a long-term project.

At a press conference the day after the quake, Rev. Sam Lloyd, dean of the cathedral at the time, said, "We will call on the very same kinds of people who got this built ... people from across the country."

In a statement today the interim dean of the cathedral Rev. John Bryson Chane,  said, "reopening is only the first step down a long path toward restoring the cathedral to its previous state. We will reach the end of that path only through the support of this community and people across the nation."