Michael Kimmelman

Well, the president, Macron, assigned a general to run the operation, a man named Georgelin, and he ran it like a military operation. They cordoned off the cathedral. It meant you had essentially like a mystery in plain sight. You couldn't see what was happening on the other side of it. They shared what information they wanted. Otherwise, it was really impossible to get a look.

Well, the president, Macron, assigned a general to run the operation, a man named Georgelin, and he ran it like a military operation. They cordoned off the cathedral. It meant you had essentially like a mystery in plain sight. You couldn't see what was happening on the other side of it. They shared what information they wanted. Otherwise, it was really impossible to get a look.

I had wanted to embed myself there from the beginning to watch the process and to try to see what was going to happen day to day because I thought it would be an incredibly interesting project to follow. And they certainly weren't having any of that. They basically told you, no way. They were preoccupied, and I understand.

I had wanted to embed myself there from the beginning to watch the process and to try to see what was going to happen day to day because I thought it would be an incredibly interesting project to follow. And they certainly weren't having any of that. They basically told you, no way. They were preoccupied, and I understand.

And they surrounded the cathedral with this wall that told you information about Notre Dame and eventually showed pictures of some of the workers. But you could never see on the other side of it. You would occasionally see, you know, stuff going on in the cranes, obviously on the scaffolding. But it was really hard to know what was going on for a long time.

And they surrounded the cathedral with this wall that told you information about Notre Dame and eventually showed pictures of some of the workers. But you could never see on the other side of it. You would occasionally see, you know, stuff going on in the cranes, obviously on the scaffolding. But it was really hard to know what was going on for a long time.

And finally, after five years of begging and pleading and leaning really heavily on our wonderful colleague Aurelien Bredin in Paris, we got the word in June. We could come in one day next week. I didn't know what that meant, whether we had an hour or 45 minutes, whether we had two hours. We had that all day. I didn't know who we were seeing, but I packed my bags and flew to Paris. Right.

And finally, after five years of begging and pleading and leaning really heavily on our wonderful colleague Aurelien Bredin in Paris, we got the word in June. We could come in one day next week. I didn't know what that meant, whether we had an hour or 45 minutes, whether we had two hours. We had that all day. I didn't know who we were seeing, but I packed my bags and flew to Paris. Right.

I land in Paris. I meet Aurelien for breakfast nearby. We walk over the cathedral, and we're told— We have to strip naked and put on basically a hazmat suit. I'm sorry, what? Yeah, so I was a little taken aback and I asked a couple of times, like, naked naked? Like French naked? So I think what this probably was about was a holdover from the fact that there had been concerns about the lead.

I land in Paris. I meet Aurelien for breakfast nearby. We walk over the cathedral, and we're told— We have to strip naked and put on basically a hazmat suit. I'm sorry, what? Yeah, so I was a little taken aback and I asked a couple of times, like, naked naked? Like French naked? So I think what this probably was about was a holdover from the fact that there had been concerns about the lead.

Right, of the spire and the roof. And so they wanted to take extravagant cautionary steps to make sure that everyone came in and out, was not taking lead out from the cathedral. But by this point, That was a moot issue. But fine, I would have done anything. So I go through a security turnstile and enter this container village, invisible from the outside almost, but there it is.

Right, of the spire and the roof. And so they wanted to take extravagant cautionary steps to make sure that everyone came in and out, was not taking lead out from the cathedral. But by this point, That was a moot issue. But fine, I would have done anything. So I go through a security turnstile and enter this container village, invisible from the outside almost, but there it is.

Hundreds of workers, a real beehive. We're... meeting the woman who's going to take us around. And we go to this construction elevator and rise up to the roof, which was incredible, seeing Paris in a way I'd never seen it, seeing the cathedral in a way I'd never seen it, seeing the workers there, who seemed, on the whole, remarkably happy.

Hundreds of workers, a real beehive. We're... meeting the woman who's going to take us around. And we go to this construction elevator and rise up to the roof, which was incredible, seeing Paris in a way I'd never seen it, seeing the cathedral in a way I'd never seen it, seeing the workers there, who seemed, on the whole, remarkably happy.

You know, construction sites are not usually happy places particularly. It's a lot of stress. And there was certainly a lot of stress and concern here at deadlines. But there was a really different atmosphere, a different vibe. What was it? I think for all of the stresses, there was a shared feeling of a mission. People were working on something that was bigger, longer-lasting than themselves.

You know, construction sites are not usually happy places particularly. It's a lot of stress. And there was certainly a lot of stress and concern here at deadlines. But there was a really different atmosphere, a different vibe. What was it? I think for all of the stresses, there was a shared feeling of a mission. People were working on something that was bigger, longer-lasting than themselves.

And that, you know, they were proud of.

And that, you know, they were proud of.

They would go home at night and, you know, they could say to their spouses, what did you do today? I worked on Notre Dame. What did you do? An impossible thing to match. Hard to top. And that's something of what I felt from talking to some of these workers as well. There was a collegiality. Some of them worked for competing firms. But here they would share hammers and help each other out.

They would go home at night and, you know, they could say to their spouses, what did you do today? I worked on Notre Dame. What did you do? An impossible thing to match. Hard to top. And that's something of what I felt from talking to some of these workers as well. There was a collegiality. Some of them worked for competing firms. But here they would share hammers and help each other out.