King Chapel repair Fun Facts

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number of robotic systems continuously monitoring the building’s stability

18 

tons of steel that will be used to support the walls during restoration

30 

number of seconds the chapel 

was designed to flex slightly 

at winds of about 100 mph

45 

number of minutes the chapel flexed 

at winds up to 140 mph

 

*This partial letter found in King Chapel describes the early construction stages and several points of interest.

 

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19 

number of inches the roof was bowed in the middle

8,000 

square feet of insulation that has been removed and blown back into the attic

200 

height in feet of some of the 

required repair equipment

129 

height in feet of the clocktower

400 

millions of years ago that the Anamosa, Iowa, limestone used to build the chapel was formed

number of different mortar mixes used 

on the stone since construction began

1876

year the cornerstone was laid

1976 

year King Chapel was named to the 

National Register of Historic Places

2nd 

King Chapel’s place on the ugliest 

buildings list, according to Frank Lloyd Wright. Wright was wrong.

 

*This 1915 photo of the Mount Vernon Quarry found in the rafters. Some stone was cut there before the quarry went bankrupt. Most stone came from the Stone City Quarry, and all the stone arrived by horse and wagon.