U.S. Air Force Academy Chapel still under construction after 7 years, hits new milestone

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) - After seven years of construction, the United States Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel is still not done.

The timeline for completion continues to get pushed back, and the price tag on the restoration has nearly doubled.

Major water damage led to the need for restoration, with construction beginning in late 2019.

The chapel is now surrounded by a protective building while renovations continue.

Colonel Bryan Cooper, the Air Force Civil Engineer Center Project Management Office Director, said what was expected to be a four-year project will take nine years.

Colonel Cooper also said the original budget of $158 million dollars is now around $350 million.

“Like with many renovation projects, you don’t know what you don’t know,” Cooper continued. “And as thorough as this design was, there were still things we discovered along the way.”

Those unforeseen challenges included asbestos, the need for custom pieces and COVID.

Colonel Cooper said the restoration has to be done the right way.

“The goal is a leak-proof facility when we open,” said Cooper

The organs, the pews and even the colored glass that will eventually fill the building are all original to the chapel, which was first built in the early 1960’s.

It’s a priority for the Air Force Academy to restore the national historic landmark for generations to come.

“It’s going to look and feel the same,” said Cooper.

The chapel actually just hit a milestone, with the last weather-proofing panel being installed.

“We are taking the exterior skin, the interior finishes and adding a layer now in the middle, that is going to be our barrier,” said Cooper.

Progress continues months after President Trump called for an investigation into the delays and increased funding, saying on social media it’s a “complete architectural catastrophe.”

“There’s no building like this ever, anywhere,” Cooper continued. “So it’s tough to have a baseline of what you think should happen until you’re here on site.”

Project leaders said the chapel is now expected to finish in August 2028.

“It means a lot of different things to a lot of different people,” Cooper continued. “We want the cadets to know there is a chapel here under this box and that’s what we are working on every day to bring back.”

Colonel Cooper said cadets who will graduate before construction is finished are able to tour the building.