The cathedral has achieved this status simply by offering itself and being accepted by religious and political leaders as playing this role.

"[11] Before and since, the structure has hosted other major events, both religious and secular, that have drawn the attention of the American people, as well as tourists from around the world.

[25] Washington National Cathedral closed from August 24 to November 7, 2011,[24] as $2 million was spent to stabilize the structure and remove damaged or loose stone.

[29] The cathedral began charging a $10 admission fee for tourists in January 2014, and started renting out its worship and other spaces to outside groups to raise cash.

[31] Phase I of the restoration, which cost $10 million,[25] repaired the internal ceiling's stone and mortar and was completed in February 2015.

The cathedral began working on a capital fundraising campaign, which The New York Times said was one of the largest ever by an American religious institution, to begin in 2018 or 2019.

After three years of deficit spending, however, the cathedral also announced additional cuts to music programs to balance its budget.

[34] Once full funding is acquired, project managers estimate it will take several years to complete, given the complexity of the work and the great heights and weather conditions.

[37] The Robert E. Lee window was subsequently loaned to the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of African American History and Culture for an exhibit on the legacy of Reconstruction.

[39] The dedication service featured remarks from visual artist and window designer Kerry James Marshall, and a special reading of 'American Song' by poet Elizabeth Alexander.

By June 2010, the cathedral cut its budget from $27 million to $13 million, outsourced the operation of its gift shop, shut its greenhouse, cancelled its plans to replace the Skinner organ in the sanctuary, and ceased operation of the College of Preachers that had provided Episcopal clergy nationwide with continuing theological education.

[25] Among the problems were cracked and missing mortar in the oldest sections of the building; broken HVAC, mechanical, and plumbing systems throughout the structure; extensive preservation needs; and a main organ in disrepair.

[52] The multifaceted campaign aims to secure total funding to complete earthquake repairs, fully renovate the 1938 Ernest M. Skinner & Son pipe organ, replace the audio system in the Cathedral nave, and sustain all operations over a five-year period.

Since 2016, under Hollerith's leadership and financial stewardship, the Cathedral has stabilized its finances, reporting consecutive annual operating surpluses in its audited financial statements,[58] and moving forward with some large capital projects including the renovation and opening of the Virginia Mae Center,[59] commencement of the great organ renovation,[60] and continued earthquake repairs.

The cathedral's final design shows a mix of influences from the various Gothic architectural styles of the Middle Ages, identifiable in its pointed arches, flying buttresses, a variety of ceiling vaulting, stained-glass windows and carved decorations in stone, and by its three similar towers, two on the west front and one surmounting the crossing.

The structure consists of a long, narrow rectangular mass formed by a nine-bay nave with wide side aisles and a five-bay chancel, intersected by a six-bay transept.

[61] [62] There are many other works of art including over two hundred stained glass windows,[3] the most familiar of which may be the Space Window, honoring mankind's landing on the Moon, which includes a fragment of lunar rock at its center;[3] the rock was presented at the dedication service on July 21, 1974, the fifth anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission.

A substantial gate of forged iron and carbon steel by Albert Paley was installed on the north side of the crypt level in 2008.

Most of the interior decorative elements have Christian symbolism, in reference to the church's Episcopal roots, but the cathedral is filled with memorials to persons or events of national significance: statues of Washington and Lincoln, state seals embedded in the marble floor of the narthex, state flags that hang along the nave, stained glass commemorating events like the Lewis and Clark expedition and the raising of the American flag at Iwo Jima.

The cathedral was built with several intentional "flaws" in keeping with an apocryphal medieval custom that sought to illustrate that only God can be perfect.

[dubious – discuss] Artistically speaking, these flaws (which often come in the form of intentional asymmetries) draw the observer's focus to the sacred geometry as well as compensate for visual distortions, a practice that has been used since the Pyramids and the Parthenon.

The second of these produced the famous Darth Vader grotesque which is high on the northwest tower, sculpted by Jay Hall Carpenter and carved by Patrick J.

The west rose window, often used as a trademark of the cathedral, was designed by Rowan LeCompte and is an abstract depiction of the creation of light.

[67] The central panel depicts King John's signing of Magna Carta in 1215 as Stephen Langton, archbishop of Canterbury, looks on.

[69] The cathedral's master plan was designed by George Frederick Bodley (founder of Watts & Co.), a highly regarded British Gothic Revival architect of the late-19th and early-20th centuries, and was influenced by Canterbury.

When work resumed after the war, the chapter hired Boston architecture firm Frohman, Robb and Little to execute the building.

Philip Hubert Frohman, who had designed his first fully functional home at age 14 and received his architectural degree at age 16, and his partners worked to perfect Bodley's vision, adding the carillon section of the central tower, enlarging the west façade, and making numerous smaller changes.

[81]It will include a complete removal of the instrument, and the addition of a suitable digital organ by the Walker Technical Company for the duration of the project.

Dr. Andrew K. Barnett, the Cathedral transformed its 9:00am Sunday Eucharist into a BAS Communion Service with both contemporary language and music.

In a scene following the funeral of a major character, President Bartlet engages in a one-sided argument with God which seamlessly blends English and Latin dialogue.