Stone-Ideas.com 
Text from the award brochure (edited): On August 23, 2011, a rare 5.8-magnitude earthquake struck the mid-Atlantic and caused significant damage to the National Cathedral in Wahington DC. In the years since, repair crews have been working their way around the building in phases to replace damaged stone, shore up wobbly struktures and reinforce the buidling to protect against future damage.
In summer 2023, crews finished a portion of the work to rebuild a massive pinnacle about 20 stories off the ground on the southwest corner of the south transept. During the quake this object twisted clockwise, rotating its columns and pillars out of place. It did not collapse, but it was so off kilter and dangerously close to falling that crews were forced to dismantle it in 2017 and lowered all its 93 pieces on the ground.
All the cathedral pinnacles are an unusually complicated jigsaw puzzle because each is supported by a row of slender columns around a hollow center. The experts had to create an entirely new system of stainless-steel support rods to accommodate the unusual construction design.
When dismantling “our” pinnacle, special care had to be taken to prevent stones from loosening and falling into the scaffolding. Some were held in place by the weight of the pieces above them and by nylon strapping. A large crane was required to dismantle and reinstall the pinnacle.
Along with the rebuild, the following stone repairs were performed: Dutchman, 100% repoint of stone joints, pinning, crack repairs, grout injections, and patching.
One especially difficult aspect project was the deep core drilling that had to be done dry. Some depths were over 35′. On many occasions, the drill team hit steel at deep depths and had to relocate the hole.
Award Recipient: Lorton Stone LLC, Springfield, Virginia (Stone Installer)
Client: Washington National Cathedral
Architect/Engineer: Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates
Stone: Indiana limestone: Polycor (Indiana Limestone Company)
Photos: Pinnacle Awards
Report in the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage Magazine
As a student, stone carver Iris Howe had the opportunity to help restoring the Washington National Cathedral as part of a summer internship.
Smithsonian Video: Timelapse Earthquake Repairs
Smithsonian Video: “Dutchman“ repair
