thank u, next

Since arriving in Paris, I have walked by, viewed, and photographed Notre Dame several times, from every different angle and distance. At this point, that is just about all tourists and visitors are able to do at the historic cathedral. Not for tourists who happen to be preservation students, however. In addition to walking near and taking photos of Notre Dame, we have an obligation to discuss the most recent historical event in the cathedrals life and discuss/predict/analyze its future. 

Following the April 15th fire, Twitter kept me up to date on the ideas and candidates for the reconstruction project, both serious and fake. Even with all of the creative designs floating around the internet, someone is going to be pissed off about the chosen design. Some designs, however, may ruffle more feathers than others. 

This 300-foot “Eternal Flame” design was submitted by architect Mathieu Lehanneur to serve as a “constant reminder of the tragedy.” Lehanneur argued that his carbon fiber and gold leaf design was originally to “show the absurdity of rebuilding the 19th-century spire.” The flame grew on the architect, however, and thought more seriously of the design as it not only stood for the remembrance of the fire but the symbol of a flame is also extremely prominent in the Bible. 

On paper/my computer screen, the design is interesting and different from other architectural elements seen around the city. The more I look at Notre Dame as it stands now, however, a giant flame would look quite ridiculous. For me, this design is out. 

There are several designs floating around the Twitter-verse that include both a spire and rooftop garden/park. I appreciate the incorporation of “public space,” but Notre Dame is one of, if not THE number one visited site in the world. A confined park space would have to be heavily regulated to keep visitation numbers to manageable numbers. In addition to the upkeep of the park area, which in the context of France really would not be too much of an issue (I mean, have you seen their parks? They are amazing!), how would certain structural elements be addressed? Including a space to the top of Notre Dame where visitors previously did not tread (because it was the roof…), requires additional support. Not to mention that plants need moisture. How will that mesh with the historic, original, wood elements that will remain? For me, this design has too many ‘what ifs.’ Next.

Multi-level parking. This design is utilitarian and the different colored cars would add the pop of color that Notre Dame is begging for. I know I am not the only one that has noticed the crazy traffic of Paris, so this design would be perfect to ease any parking issues visitors have. Though this design does not incorporate a new spire to replace the one that was lost in the fire, I find the way it melds the historic with the new truly tasteful. It stands as one of my top contenders. 

Another practical design! Summers in Paris are hot, so imagine yourself going for a nice swim in a pool at the top of Notre Dame, overlooking both the lovely city of Paris and Seine River. Better yet, imagine watching swimming competitions during the 2024 Olympics. They could even use the space for the diving events; all they would need to do is add a couple of diving boards to the top of each tower. Wow, I just talked myself into it. This is the winning design. 

The Notre Dame has survived revolution, world war, an epic battle between Robo-Snail and Reptar in the classic film Rugrats in Paris (2000)…and an accidental fire is what did the most damage. That fact is quite mind-boggling. At this point, however, preservationists and architects have a major task on their hands. There are so many elements that all have to be meticulously calculated and planned. This project is going to be a nail-biter for preservationists all over the world, and now we wait.