Pier rebuilt following destruction from Superstorm Sandy under fire for resembling a Christian cross

One town leader says that Ocean Grove, New Jersey, will cut the ribbon on Saturday to unveil its reconstructed oceanfront pier, now in the shape of a cross.

The pier was redesigned and reconstructed after being destroyed by Hurricane Sandy in 2012.

The Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association, which owns the land on which the pier sits, did not originally plan to build the structure in the shape of a cross.

The shape developed organically after the designers added more ends to build the best pier possible, according to the association’s president, Michael Badger.

He stated that the unintentional design is appropriate for the organization’s Christian mission, which is to welcome and engage people with the gospel.