Chapel will be open to visitors through September 3. 

The Air Force Academy announced that it will be making extensive renovations to its Cadet Chapel. Visitors who want to see it before it closes down for the 3-year repair and preservation projects will have to visit on or before September 3. Starting on September 4, crews will begin to move furniture and make other preparations for the renovations. 

The project was slated to begin in June but delayed as the funds were diverted to make repairs to another Air Force base after Hurrican Michael. This time it's a go, and renovations are officially slated to start on November 1. 

The chapel serves as an all-faith center of worships and is one of the most iconic buildings in the Air Force. It is made with aluminum, glass, and steel, and features 17 spires that shoot 150 feet into the sky. You can see the chapel's spires from miles away. Its structure is an impressive tubular steel frame of 100 identical tetrahedrons, each 75-feet long, weighing 5 tons, and enclosed with aluminum panels. 

Initially a controversial design, it was completed in 1962 and has become one of the highest-regarded examples of modern architecture. It was named as a National Historic Landmark in 2004.  

The chapel has seen very few improvements since it was built, and in order to complete the renovation and preservation project, the chapel will be stripped down to its frame. Aluminum panels will be replaced, all of the stained glass pieces will be removed and cleaned, and even the pipe organ will be removed and fully restored before the chapel opens again. 

If you want to visit the chapel one last time before the closure, visitor hours are 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Sunday. 

Have you visited the chapel lately? What do you think about the renovations? Let us know in the comments.