Northwest D.C. church Washington National Cathedral that was damaged in the 2011 earthquake is hoping to raise more than $800,000 from a LEGO replica of the iconic church where visitors can make donations by buying bricks.
“It’s an opportunity to raise funds but also to help visitors engage the building, to understand how it comes together and hopefully connects with the institution in some new ways,” said Charles Fulcher, director of visitor programs at the Washington National Cathedral.
The Washington National Cathedral hopes a LEGO replica will bring in more than $800,000 to help with repair costs from the 2011 earthquake.https://t.co/gVicVCiUCn
— WTOP (@WTOP) March 2, 2019
There’s a Cathedral gift shop on the nave (main) level where visitors can buy bricks for $2 apiece. The church staff then takes the visitors to a table in a room that holds the foundation of the 13-foot-long cathedral. The visitors are offered assistance to insert the bricks accurately.
Fulcher said that the model is put together very logically, and broken down into small modules. When enough number of bricks are bought for the module, it will then get attached to the model.
According to Fulcher, a similar project at the Durham Cathedral in England a few years ago inspired him to conduct it for the church. After visiting the cathedral to understand the model, it took him about two years to work out other details. “We estimate that the project for us would take about two and three years of building,” added Fulcher.
The amount raised by the project will be utilized to pay the remaining bill of $19 million that stemmed from the damages on the cathedral caused by the 2011 earthquake. The cathedral had sustained damages worth a total of $34 million due to the earthquake.
Those who are unable to visit the cathedral can make donations online to purchase the bricks.
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