“Everyone has cried,” said Katie Horak, who is part of the firm in charge of the chapel’s disassembly. “We’re in this profession because we love buildings like this. It’s the mourning of a sacred space,” she said, as per The Guardian. Dedicated to the conservation of heritage sites and building-shaped art, the Architectural Resources Group has been tasked with taking apart the space, which was named a National Historic Landmark less than a year ago.
Predicated on the confluence of devotion by way of nature, the Wayfarers Chapel draws in around 500,000 people per year. The community cornerstone will now have to raise enough funds to be re-erected, and it is unknown how long it will be waiting in storage.
Inspired by the fundraising done in lieu of the Notre Dame fire, community leaders have already raised $75,000 via their GoFundMe page. The congregation has saved up a total of $5 million from past wedding services, but architects estimate around a $20 million cost for reconstruction, while the dismantlement has already been half a million dollars.
