Duke Chapel closing for a year, restoration to begin in 2015

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- A landmark on Duke University's campus will close for a year starting next spring.

Duke Chapel will close to the public on May 11, 2015, as part of a restoration project that includes rehabilitating the ceiling and replacing the chapel's original roof.

The roughly yearlong project will also allow crews to restore several stained-glass windows and woodwork, and clean the chapel's floor and walls.

The chapel, which was built in 1932, is popular for weddings, weekly religious services, tours, and more.

"There is never a good time to close Duke's most iconic building, but we're acting now to maintain and preserve the chapel as one of the last great examples of neo-Gothic architecture on a collegiate campus," said Tallman Trask III, Duke's Executive Vice President.

The chapel is expected to reopen in the spring of 2016.