In the 1980s, during the construction of the National Cathedral in D.C., National Geographic World put out a children’s contest, asking for kids to draw the building’s newest grotesques, similar to gargoyles. The difference between the two is gargoyles carry away excess water via pipes running through their mouths while grotesques deflect rainwater by bouncing it off the top of theri heads.
Alison Garner won first place for her drawing, the first choice out of 1,400 entries. There were three runner-ups, with the third-place award going to Christopher Radar who drew this Darth Vader grotesque that now rests at the top of the National Cathedral. The other runner-ups designed grotesques of a raccoon, a girl with pigtails and braces, and a man with large teeth and an umbrella.
According to an old post by StationStart, the Darth Vader is located on the back of one of the front towers, the tower on the left from the viewpoint of a person looking at the front of the Cathedral.
You won’t be able to see this grotesque with the naked eye, so bring some binoculars if you have them and look up to the North side of the cathedral!
Fun fact: The Darth Vader is mentioned in a Dan Brown book in Chapter 31 of the Lost Symbol.
Have you seen this Darth Vader grotesque yet? Try to see how many of the grotesque winners you can spot!