Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel Closes For Four-Year Renovation
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (CBS4) – The doors of Colorado's most visited man-made attraction, the Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel, have officially closed. The nearly 60-year-old multi-faith chapel will undergo renovations throughout the next four years.
The Air Force allocated more than $150 million for the renovation of the chapel. The academy's campus architect, Duane Boyle, told CBS4's Dillon Thomas the massive project has been on the horizon for nearly 20 years.
"The chapel is really the icon that, in many people's minds, defines the Air Force Academy," Boyle said.
Boyle said he had the opportunity to grow close to the structure's designer, Walter Netsch. He said he was able to learn the building was inspired by many iconic structures across the world, including the Notre Dame Cathedral.
However, those tasked with maintaining the Cadet Chapel said water leaks were causing the building to self-destruct. With more than 32 miles of sealant throughout the building, the staff was using caulking to patch holes where rain and snow water was dripping.
"(For 20 years) the building has really been in a downward spiral," Boyle said.
Ultimately, Boyle and the Air Force said the structure could no longer withstand the temporary fixes. Pews were warped, ceiling tiles were falling, and the pulpit itself was directly underneath a frequent drip. When CBS4 was invited for a final tour of the chapel, water was resting on the pulpit next to a Bible.
"There is a lot of water damage at the top of the spires, as (can be seen) by the discoloration," Boyle said. "The alternatives to not doing this project are not good."
The Air Force officially closed the chapel to visitors and services on Wednesday, Sept. 4. Boyle said a team contracted to complete the project will remove the contents inside the chapel. Then, a large scaffolding cube will be built around the chapel, allowing the construction workers to work year-round for four years.
The construction crews will take off each panel of the structure, and each piece of stained glass. The glass will be cleaned and sorted individually. When the structure is restored, each piece of glass will be placed where it originally stood.
Thousands of pipes that make up the organ will be taken off site before construction. Some visitors to the chapel said they were heartbroken to learn they missed the opportunity to see the inside one final time before 2023.
"It is a bummer. If we could have switched our trip a day, it would have been great," said Julie Harms, a visitor from Minnesota.
"We were one day too short," said her husband, Jesse Harms.
Though the project would be expensive, and long, Boyle said the restoration was vital.
"There is no other building like this anywhere else in the world. The original design of the chapel will have been preserved. We will have solved the problem. And, it will be once again a national treasure," Boyle said. "It is going to be a big day."
