Washington, D.C., District of Columbia story
A Galactic Grotesque
If you look up at the Northwest Tower of the National Cathedral, you'll find a very unexpected resident. Nestled among the traditional stone carvings is the helmeted visage of Dar…
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If you look up at the Northwest Tower of the National Cathedral, you'll find a very unexpected resident. Nestled among the traditional stone carvings is the helmeted visage of Darth Vader. This isn't a prank, but the result of a 1984 design competition for children.
A thirteen-year-old from Nebraska named Chris Rader submitted the concept, and it won third prize in a contest held by National Geographic World. Sculptor Jay Hall Carpenter used the drawing and Star Wars reference images to bring the villain to life in stone. Installed in 1986, the figure is technically a grotesque rather than a gargoyle, because it doesn't actually drain water.
It's a whimsical bridge between ancient architectural traditions and modern pop-culture cinema, proving that even the most sacred spaces have room for a little bit of the Dark Side.
Updated June 2026