From the Dec. 16, 2012, Chicago Tribune "Return to the Pinnacle: Stonemason who put final stone in National Cathedral is redoing his life's work to repair damage from 2011 D.C. earthquake." by Timothy M. Phelps.
On August 23, 2011, the nation's church was rocked by that surprise east coast earthquake. It snapped some of the 53 carillon bell cables causing them to ring. Outside cracks appeared on some of the flying buttresses. Tops of pinnacles started swaying.
Back in 1991, Joe Alonso, mason foreman, had put the Episcopal cathedral's last stone in place. Now, he has back repairing it. It is the house of prayer for all people. In 2004, President Ronald Reagan's 2004 state funeral drew 4,000.
The quake hit at 1:51 PM and shook things from Georgia to Canada along the east coast. At least 29 pinnacles weer toppled, rotated on their base or otherwise damaged. Fortunately, no visitors or employees were injured and the cathedral closed for nearly three months.
I was at Topsail Beach, North Carolina, trying to close hurricane shutters at Mom's condo and other units, many of which hadn't been closed in years and were a bit rusted into place. I was pounding away with a hammer and talking to myself and didn't feel it. Another condo owner asked Mom if she had felt shaking and she thought it was me with those darn shutters.
One Very Impressive Bit of Gothic Architecture. --Cooter
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