Evan Kopelson scales the Heinz Memorial Chapel during an inspection. Alumni Look, Up in the Sky! It’s Two Alums Inspecting Buildings and Bridges! Stories You May Like Barbara Page, MFA ’75, Celebrates Her Love of Reading with Miniature Works of Art Remembering Anna Comstock, Cornell’s First Female Professor Garden at Cornell Health Brings Nature’s Balm to Ho Plaza They're partners in Vertical Access, which uses climbing techniques to scrutinize structures—from the U.S. Capitol to Philly’s city hall By Melissa Newcomb For decades, a day on the job for Kent Diebolt ’82 and Evan Kopelson ’94 has meant being suspended on ropes from skyscrapers, capitol buildings, church towers, bridges, and other structures, hundreds of feet above the ground. At Vertical Access, the company Diebolt founded, the two specialize in using climbing techniques to go where most people can’t—or wouldn’t want to—so they can inspect some of the structures’ hardest-to-reach parts. As partners in the Ithaca-area company, Diebolt and Kopelson have spent years examining buildings and bridges up close—searching for cracks, loose masonry, water damage, and other signs of deterioration that can be impossible to spot from the ground. “It’s a little bit like your annual physical,” says Diebolt. “Buildings should be looked at periodically.” Vertical Access has made a specialty of performing those checkups on historic and monumental buildings, whose ornate façades, towers, domes, and other architectural features can make conventional access methods, such as scaffolding and lifts, particularly challenging. Jon ReisThe founders at work atop the U.S. Capitol. Rope access can also be quicker to set up and less disruptive to people and traffic below, they explain, while avoiding conspicuous scaffolding on popular historic sites. These hands-on surveys can include photographing and documenting damage, measuring cracks, spraying water to trace the source of leaks, and gently tapping the exterior with a mallet to hear and feel differences that may reveal deterioration beneath the surface. It’s a little bit like your annual physical. Buildings should be looked at periodically. Kent Diebolt ’82 Everything they find is documented in a report that architects and engineers can use to plan repairs. But the company doesn’t perform the repairs it recommends—a deliberate separation that, Diebolt says, allows the team to make a neutral assessment, free from any potential conflict of interest. Kent Diebolt ’82. “We decided that we really couldn’t wear both hats,” he says. “We don’t have a dog in that fight, because we’re being objective about what we’re finding.” Projects over the years have included the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, the Chrysler Building and St. Thomas Church in NYC, Philadelphia City Hall, the Massachusetts and Nebraska state capitols, and the Ravenel Bridge in Charleston, SC. Closer to home, Vertical Access has inspected several buildings on the Hill, including Sibley, McGraw, and Myron Taylor halls. The company also conducts regular inspections of four bridges on and around campus: two on Stewart Avenue, one on Thurston Avenue, and one on Hoy Road. For Kopelson—who majored in classical civilization and archaeology in Arts & Sciences before earning a master’s in historic preservation from Penn—working up close with iconic structures keeps the job interesting. The company also conducts regular inspections of four bridges on and around campus: two on Stewart Avenue, one on Thurston Avenue, and one on Hoy Road. Stories You May Like Barbara Page, MFA ’75, Celebrates Her Love of Reading with Miniature Works of Art Remembering Anna Comstock, Cornell’s First Female Professor “Our historic buildings are important for a number of reasons. One is because of the stories that they tell—the history of architecture and construction, as well as the history associated with people or places,” he says. “Being able to carefully document conditions so they’re well understood and the materials can be conserved is important. It also has a net positive toward sustainability and our impact on the environment.” Kopelson (left) atop Sibley Dome with colleague Mike Gilbert ’02 in 2012. The inspections start with a system of ropes anchored at the top of a structure, with each climber using two lines—a main one to ascend or descend and a backup for safety. Wearing full-body harnesses, technicians use specialized equipment to control their movement along the ropes. Depending on the structure, the ropes can be anchored to features on the roof, wrapped around a rooftop, or even run across the entire building and down the opposite side. Being able to carefully document conditions so they’re well understood and the materials can be conserved is important. Evan Kopelson ’94 The job comes with views few people ever get to enjoy—from the NYC streets seen from high above to citrus groves stretching out below the tiled bell tower at Florida’s Bok Tower Gardens. But, Diebolt says, “you don’t really look down. You’re agnostic about the view; it just doesn’t even register with you. We all have what I call a rational fear of heights. You can’t forget where you are and what you’re doing.” Diebolt’s path to Vertical Access began when he was running a construction business in Ithaca. Hired to work on a home with a particularly steep roof, he enlisted an experienced rock climber to help him rig ropes for fall protection. Intrigued by the technique, Diebolt spent a couple of weeks working with a rope-access crew in England before founding Vertical Access in 1992. That same house connected Diebolt to his future business partner: it belonged to Kopelson’s future in-laws. Jon ReisDiebolt on a railway bridge over the Niagara River. After grad school at Penn, Kopelson worked for preservation firms in NYC and the San Francisco Bay Area before returning to Ithaca and joining Vertical Access more than 20 years ago. Diebolt, for his part, had majored in nursery management in CALS. “I’m not doing anything in my business today that has to do with horticulture,” he observes with a laugh, “other than that I can tell you what plants are growing out of your gutters.” Top: Kopelson scales Pittsburgh's Heinz Memorial Chapel. (All images provided, unless otherwise indicated.) Published September 25, 2026 Leave a Comment Cancel replyOnce your comment is approved, your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment * Name * Class Year Email * Save my name, email, and class year in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ Other stories You may like Quizzes & Puzzles January / February ’26 Trivia Roundup Chime In At a Personal Crossroads, a Visit to Ithaca Focused My Mind Chime In I’m a Wheelchair User—and Despite the Obstacles, I Love to Travel