The carvers were also given some freedom to add their distinctive touch to certain carvings on the Cathedral such as gargoyles, grotesques and other whimsical creatures. These works of art were executed in clay by sculptors then cast into plaster models to be reproduced in stone by the carvers. The stones for statuary, finials, rosettes, reliefs and other carved elements arrived at the Cathedral in block or roughed out form. Generations of talented stone cutters and carvers in Indiana cut and carved some incredibly complex architectural pieces for the Cathedral structure. The great limestone mills in Indiana fabricated most of the architectural stone on the Cathedral based on the architect’s drawings, templates and patterns. The wonderful qualities of Indiana Limestone make it the ideal material for anything from fine statuary to the structural elements such as the flying buttresses and arches that hold the structure together. ![]() The Cathedral is built of Select Buff Indiana Limestone and although there are a few other types of stone in the building, the vast majority of the carvings and cut stone is Indiana Limestone. ![]() ![]() The first stone was laid on September 29th, 1907 and the final stone was set on September 29th, 1990 and in those 83 years, an amazing collection of carvings exist, with restoration and new work continuing to this day. Stone Carving is alive and well at the Washington National Cathedral, where since 1907, architectural and sculptural carving has taken place using methods and tools passed down through the generations.
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