The Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center has taken a major step toward bringing the U.S. Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel back to life, completing the first fully effective waterproofing system in the landmark’s history and accelerating progress toward a 2028 reopening.
In March, AFIMSC and prime contractor JE Dunn completed installation of 1,628 weather-resistant panels, the culmination of a waterproofing effort that decades of prior repairs never achieved. Over nearly two years, craftsmen fabricated 2,062 custom aluminum hubs and 3,262 custom aluminum covers, each precision-built to fit within the original 1962 steel structure, delivering protection the Chapel has never had.
“Every solution on this restoration project has to balance modern performance with respect for the Chapel's legacy, and that makes this work both challenging and deeply meaningful,” said Maj. Gen. Thomas Sherman, AFIMSC commander. “We are committed to permanent fixes, not temporary solutions and to returning the Chapel to the Cadets and the American people as quickly as possible and done right.”
To get there, the AFIMSC team navigated multiple challenges, including asbestos contamination well beyond original estimates requiring full abatement before work could move forward or misaligned structural steel uncovered when restoration began in 2019.
Since its opening in 1962, the 52,000-square-foot Cadet Chapel has stood at the center of Academy life, marking the moments that define a career and shaping the experience of every Cadet class that has passed through Colorado Springs. AFIMSC is delivering a permanent solution to preserve the Chapel for Cadets, Alumni and the American people for generations to come.
Work is now advancing on multiple fronts on what stands as one of the most significant restoration efforts in the Department of the Air Force history.
A System Built to Last
In January, the team began installing exterior cladding, a rain screen that directs water away from the building. Together with the weather-resistant panel system and just over 13 miles of joint sealant, they deliver the protection the Chapel never had.
“This is a once in a lifetime project. Local engineers contemplated permanent design fixes about 15 years ago, the design grew legs around 2015 and was then proven out with to-scale performance mock-ups. Construction began in 2019, unfortunately hit a few obstacles that altered the original timeline and cost, and today we have evidence of leak-proof Chapel and accelerated completion of August 2028,” said Col. Bryan Cooper, Chapel restoration project manager with the Air Force Civil Engineer Center, a primary subordinate unit of AFIMSC.
Water testing of the first completed section began in mid-December 2025 and confirmed the design and expert craftsman who manufactured and installed the new interior gutter system that will keep water from penetrating the structure for generations to come. The team expects to complete full water testing of the entire system by the end of this year.
Progress Across the Project
Step by step, the pace is picking up inside the White Box as artisans work the fitting for side and strip windows, interior trim, maintenance track and framing of the interior walls that began in May.
When the scaffolding finally comes down, the Chapel will look as it did the day it opened. The restoration preserves Walter Netsch's original iconic design, and the exterior will emerge bright and clean, matching the 1962 finish before decades of weathering set in.
The colored glass blocks are going back in. Artisans began returning the Chapel's dalle de verre cassettes to their original positions in January, reinstalling 5% of the 24,192 pieces across 2,240 restored aluminum frames, each one exactly where it has always belonged.
The music is coming back, too. The 1,950-pipe Catholic organ is fully restored and back in place. The 4,518-pipe Protestant organ has completed restoration and awaits reinstallation.
In a workshop in Madison, Wisconsin, specialists are refurbishing all 118 Chapel Catholic and Protestant pews, preserving the original woodwork, before they return to the Chapel.
A Cadet Closer Look
Even mid-restoration, the Chapel is still shaping the Cadet experience. Hard-hat tours have brought Cadets from the Class of 2026 inside the ongoing work, giving them an up-close look at the craftsmanship and complexity of the project and connecting them to a space that has marked milestones for generations before them.
Senior leadership has stayed closely connected to the restoration, too. Most recently in April, Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink toured the site, moving through the interior and up through the scaffolding. The visit covered technical challenges as well as the schedule ahead. Meink and his team departed with a stronger appreciation for what the project demands and what the AFIMSC team has delivered.
AFIMSC established a dedicated restoration webpage to keep Alumni, Cadets and the public informed as the project moves forward.
Visit https://www.afcec.af.mil/Home/USAFA-Cadet-Chapel-Restoration/ to follow the latest progress.