The East Coast earthquake damaged three of the four pinnacles atop the main tower, and visible cracks in the church’s structure. Building remains closed to visitors. A crack was also found near the top of the Washington Monument.
The cathedral's pinnacles are the top spires on the cathedral's towers and are the highest point in the city. The tops of the pinnacles — capstones known as finials — fell off, littering the surrounding grounds with stones and small chunks of rubble.
"It's not massive damage but it's very serious," Sam Lloyd, dean of the National Cathedral, said.
There are also cracks in the flying buttresses at the cathedral's east end, the oldest part of the structure, which often has been the site of funerals and memorials for presidents and other members of the nation's political elite.
A statement issued by the cathedral said the buttresses supporting the main, central tower appeared to be sound, and the tower itself was not leaning as a spokesman had reported previously.
The statement said there are some cracks on upper floors in the interior of the church, but no damage to stained glass windows has been reported.
The cathedral, popular with tourists, has been evacuated and closed and stone masons are assessing the damage. Structural engineers are expected to survey the damage overnight.
Tuesday night the National Park Service said engineers have found a crack near the top of the Washington Monument presumably caused by the earthquake.
Park service spokesman Bill Line said that structural engineers found the crack where the 555-foot landmark narrows considerably.
He says the lower portions checked out fine earlier but later they found the crack. He says the monument will be closed indefinitely to keep the public safe.
An outside engineering service will study the crack on Wednesday. He says it's too early to say what would be involved in fixing it.
The 91,000-ton monument is made of Maryland marble.
Tags : washington monument leaning, washington monument earthquake, washington monument tilting, earthquake, virginia earthquake
Source : http://hamptonroads.com/2011/08/quake-damages-national-cathedral-washington-monument
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