Museum@TheLibrary: Highlights of the Washington National Cathedral (Online)

The idea of a sacred home for all Americans in the nation’s capital is as old as the country itself.

Pierre L’Enfant’s original design for the new capital city included a “great church for national purposes,” an idea that sat idle until an 1893 congressional charter authorized a cathedral dedicated to religion, education and charity. Construction began in 1907, when President Theodore Roosevelt helped lay the foundation stone. Through world wars, the Great Depression and immense social change, construction ended exactly 83 years after it began, when President George H.W. Bush oversaw the laying of the final stone atop the towers, in 1990.

This virtual tour will share highlights of the interior of this magnificent Cathedral to include architecture, stained glass, stone carvings, and much more. The Washington National Cathedral is the site of the Inaugural Prayer Service for incoming U.S. Presidents and has hosted the funerals for Presidents Eisenhower, Reagan, Ford, and George H. W. Bush along with many memorial services to include John McCain and most recently Sandra Day O'Connor.

Image: The Space Window

Brief Bio:

Camille Hersh has been a Docent at the Washington National Cathedral since 2014. She leads Behind-the-Scenes tours, Highlights tours, and Tower Climbs and recently created a new tour on Cathedral Humor and Whimsy.

Camille also serves as a School Docent at the National Gallery of Art where she leads  interactive tours for students from Pre-K through 12th grade. Camille retired as a senior executive from the Federal Government in 2014 and is originally from South Hadley Massachusetts. 

Please register with an email address to receive an immediate registration confirmation with a link to join the class/event. This email will also contain the dial-in information if you wish to participate by telephone.