More than 90 feet above the main hall inside the historic Union Station, work is underway to restore the ceiling damaged during the 2011 earthquake.

With a small group of reporters, DCist climbed the scaffolding Tuesday to see firsthand the work to repair the many cracks and replace the gold foil. It’s unknown just how many cracks are in the ceiling, according to Robert Nieweg of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. But based on the amount in a small section of the ceiling we looked at, the number must be huge. And they will all be cleaned and repaired by hand.

Nieweg described Union Station as “the gateway to the nation’s capital” and a “national treasure.” It’s estimated the project, paid for in part by a $350,000 grant from American Express to assist the Union Station Redevelopment Corporation, will be completed in spring 2016. It will take approximately six months to repair each of the five “bays,” with bay one completed in December. Between five to 25 people work eight hour shifts to repair the ceiling by traversing a massive, multilevel scaffolding system, which is moved by hand.

The scaffolding itself was one of the biggest challenges for the project, said project manager Tom Whitaker. Universal Builder’s Supply was contracted to design, build and move the scaffolding, as they did for the Washington Monument. It was designed to keep the main floor open, while not weighing too heavily on the historic floor.

In addition to being repaired, the ceiling is being reinforced to withstand another seismic event. More than 120,000 sheets of gold leaf found in each of the 255 octagonal coffers, as well as diamond and triangle accents, will be replaced with 23 karat, 18 gram gold leaf, which is expected to last longer. First, these areas are cleaned and shellacked, which usually takes one day. After adhesive “size” is applied and left for two to three hours, the “thin-to-the-touch” gold leaf is applied in sheets.

While the work may be slow and meticulous, all involved are committed to the building’s preservation. Nieweg pointed out that the building, while grand in design, is open to everyone.