National Cathedral wins preservation contest

On Monday, the Washington National Cathedral and George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate each won $100,000 grants. The cathedral and the estate competed with 24 other sites in order to in their prize.

The National Cathedral won votes from the public in the span of three weeks, earning nearly 1.4 million points in the Partners and Preservation program. The National Trust for Historic Preservation and American Express announced the winners and awarded over $1 million dollars to sites in the D.C., Virginia, and Maryland areas.

The cathedral will use the funds to repair its nave vaulting, which has been catching debris since the earthquake in 2011. Mount Vernon will use its funds to restore Washington’s dining room.