On April 15, 2019, a fire destroyed large parts of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France. It didn’t take long for the modernist architects to begin circling the charred remains like vultures on a dead carcass.
They are encouraged by French President Emmanuel Macron’s vow to quickly rebuild, “consistent with our modern and diverse nation” in time for the Paris Summer Olympics, and by French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe’s announcement of his plan to launch an international architectural competition to seize upon the tragedy to modernize the 850-year-old structure. In his remarks, Philippe noted that Notre Dame has not been frozen in time, but has in-fact been tweaked throughout its history. He pointed to the fact that the spire that collapsed on Monday was only 150-years-old.
What is already being talked about is a glass roof, a contemporary steel spire, or even replacing the spire altogether with an Islamic minaret to honor Algerians who protested the French government in the 1960s. Umm, NO!
The two groups that need to be kept far away from Notre Dame are the terrorists and the modernist architects, with their bizarre and soulless 21st century designs that lack character and deep meaning.
Restore not redesign!