Michael Kimmelman

Yes, that's exactly correct. But I think it looked, obviously, really remarkable. And I did come away with something not just about the building, but a feeling— that the project itself represented something very moving. So few things nowadays seem sort of unimpeachable and just good. And that was the main takeaway I had about this project.

Yes, that's exactly correct. But I think it looked, obviously, really remarkable. And I did come away with something not just about the building, but a feeling— that the project itself represented something very moving. So few things nowadays seem sort of unimpeachable and just good. And that was the main takeaway I had about this project.

It had not just gone well, but it seemed to be something that brought people together. It seemed to be something people could attribute larger meaning to.

It had not just gone well, but it seemed to be something that brought people together. It seemed to be something people could attribute larger meaning to.

Well, for starters, it tells us that this is not the moment when we let Notre Dame die, that we are capable of bringing it back to life. And that's a sign of hope. I mean, Notre Dame is not going to solve everyone's problems. France is still coming apart. Walk down the street, you die. still worry about whether there's going to be crime and homelessness. I don't want to overstate the case.

Well, for starters, it tells us that this is not the moment when we let Notre Dame die, that we are capable of bringing it back to life. And that's a sign of hope. I mean, Notre Dame is not going to solve everyone's problems. France is still coming apart. Walk down the street, you die. still worry about whether there's going to be crime and homelessness. I don't want to overstate the case.

But I do think Notre Dame reminds us that the places we build give us this sense of community. They give us a sense of each other. The coming together itself, which is what the cathedral is about, is a sign of hope for us. It's the thing that we wish we can do.

But I do think Notre Dame reminds us that the places we build give us this sense of community. They give us a sense of each other. The coming together itself, which is what the cathedral is about, is a sign of hope for us. It's the thing that we wish we can do.

It's our best selves. Right. Notre Dame is our best selves.

It's our best selves. Right. Notre Dame is our best selves.

If that's not a sign of human progress... Yeah, and you know, I met a lot of people, Parisians, some friends of mine, who had never really thought much about Notre Dame, or actually just found it an impediment on their way to work, all the crowds. And they found themselves crestfallen, shocked, really, by how they felt when it burned. And I think...

If that's not a sign of human progress... Yeah, and you know, I met a lot of people, Parisians, some friends of mine, who had never really thought much about Notre Dame, or actually just found it an impediment on their way to work, all the crowds. And they found themselves crestfallen, shocked, really, by how they felt when it burned. And I think...

That was the realization for many people, that this building had a place in their own lives that they hadn't even understood before. It's a touchstone for our sense of our own changing, evolving lives, aging. And I think also for the passage of time in a larger sense over the centuries to which we are connected. And the building's resurrection preserves that connection.

That was the realization for many people, that this building had a place in their own lives that they hadn't even understood before. It's a touchstone for our sense of our own changing, evolving lives, aging. And I think also for the passage of time in a larger sense over the centuries to which we are connected. And the building's resurrection preserves that connection.

It allows us to think we can go back We haven't lost touch essentially with, not just with the past, but with ourselves.

It allows us to think we can go back We haven't lost touch essentially with, not just with the past, but with ourselves.

Just before I left the cathedral, I was speaking with a woman who showed us around. And I asked her directly, are you Catholic? And she said, yes. So I said to her, what has it meant for you to be working on this project? And she struggled for like a minute to find the words. And then she wept. And I thought that said it all, really.

Just before I left the cathedral, I was speaking with a woman who showed us around. And I asked her directly, are you Catholic? And she said, yes. So I said to her, what has it meant for you to be working on this project? And she struggled for like a minute to find the words. And then she wept. And I thought that said it all, really.

That for her, this was also something that she would remember for the rest of her life. That she lived at this moment. For her, no doubt had religious meanings, but I'd like to think is the power of architecture and can sustain us at a time when we are divided and we sometimes lose hope. Maybe that was the original idea for the people who built the cathedral nearly a thousand years ago.

That for her, this was also something that she would remember for the rest of her life. That she lived at this moment. For her, no doubt had religious meanings, but I'd like to think is the power of architecture and can sustain us at a time when we are divided and we sometimes lose hope. Maybe that was the original idea for the people who built the cathedral nearly a thousand years ago.