To Los Angeles preservationists, it was the icing on the cake--or at least the long-awaited, decorative top layer. A crane positioned the 3,500-pound cupola over the former St. Vibiana Cathedral on Wednesday, capping an 11-year campaign to save the historic downtown landmark. After the sanctuary was heavily damaged by the 1994 earthquake, the Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles had targeted the 131-year-old church for demolition. but conservationists sued. At the ceremony Wednesday, developer Tom Gilmore said, "No chunks fell off. If anything, I was expecting lightning bolts to strike."
