DETROIT – Restoration is nearly complete on a more than 200-foot-high church steeple near downtown Detroit that was feared beyond repair after high winds heavily damaged it six months ago.
The Detroit Free Press reports that the 113-year-old St. Josaphat Roman Catholic Church building is expected to reopen within weeks.
Church officials thought they would have to remove the structure after the November storm whipped up gusts of 70 mph.
But a structural engineer says the restored steeple should be able to withstand gusts of 110 mph after getting new shingles, floors, a metal bracket and crisscrossing cables.
Officials say about $90,000 has been raised for the restoration but costs could reach $500,000. It’s unclear how much insurance money will come in.
The church is on the National Register of Historic Places.