The derecho caused more damage than expected to one of Cornell College’s oldest buildings.
King Chapel needs repairs that might cost more than $2 million, Cornell College construction project manager Scott Ladwig reported to the Mount Vernon Historic Preservation Commission at its August meeting.
“Our original inspection after the storm revealed some light structural damage to King Chapel, including some damage to shingles and movement at the joints of the brickwork,” Ladwig said in an interview following that meeting. “This spring, however, when a member of the facilities team had to remove several layers of insulation to replace a lightbulb, the member noticed one of the building trusses in the roof had cracked.”
Ladwig noted that discovery of a cracked truss has led to a more in-depth inspection, which hadn’t been recommended immediately after the storm, due to the lack of visible damage to the building.
Ladwig said that the college has hired specialists who are examining every inch of King Chapel.
“We currently know there is structural damage to the southwest corner of the building, and crews are still exploring the rest of the building,” Ladwig said. “We also currently know crews will need to do heavy work on the cathedral ceiling and roof.”
Upon the discovery of the cracked truss this spring, King Chapel has been closed to the public. A fence is being installed around the property and any concerts and events slated for King Chapel are being relocated to other campus buildings until these repairs are completed.
The $2 million mentioned to the commission is just an estimate as the inspection of the building is not complete; the college will be working with the insurance company for any repairs needed to the building not to exceed the boundaries of the coverage.
“We are in the process of exposing suspect areas in order to identify the full extent of the damage,” Ladwig said. “Once we understand the type of damage, we will look to engage specialized contractors to address those issues.”
Crews have already started to secure some of the important features of the building before the repairs can be made, including securing the stained-glass windows on the south side of the building and crews have temporarily installed temporary patches where roof shingles were torn off during the storm.
“We are hoping to have the larger repairs to the building underway by the end of August,” Ladwig said.