Tall & Urban News

It has been more than five years after the fire that blazed atop the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris and caused significant damage.  Officials recently announced that the 12th-century landmark will reopen on December 8, 2024. Under the late General Jean-Louis Georgelin’s leadership, the restoration aimed to meet this deadline, despite predictions that it could take up to 20 years to rebuild the roof, spire, and stone vaulting. Although the cathedral will open on schedule, some restoration work will continue into 2026.

The fire that occured on April 15, 2019 spurred a flurry of questions and proposals shortly after on how the historic church would be restored from futuristic to a modern glass ceiling. In the end the National Commission for Heritage and Architecture (CNPA), the advisory council that handles important restoration projects in France, recommended that Notre-Dame Cathedral be restored to its prior state before the fire, including the spire. Efforts were made to use the original materials, like wood for the roofing to ensure the authenticity, harmony, and coherence of the Gothic architecture icon. 

Approximately 1,000 skilled artisans are involved in the restoration, utilizing traditional methods from the 12th century. This team includes quarry workers, carpenters, mortar makers, and stone cutters. The apse and sacristy are expected to be completed by 2025, with new stained glass windows to be installed in 2026. The existing 19th-century windows will move to a museum, and contemporary designs from one of eight finalists will replace them.

Notre-Dame’s restoration has been funded by nearly EUR 1 billion (USD 1.08 billion) in private donations, including EUR 200 million (USD 226 million) from LVMH and EUR 100 million (US$113 million) from Kering. To date, EUR 550 million (USD 600 million) has been spent, with an estimated total budget of EUR 700 million (USD 758 million).

Free individual tickets to visit the cathedral will be available through an app launching in late November 2024. Additionally, a free exhibition, "Notre-Dame de Paris: At the Heart of the Construction Site," will run until December 2024, showcasing the restoration’s progress and artifacts salvaged from the fire. The venue will also feature the "Eternal Notre-Dame," a 45-minute VR experience covering the cathedral's 850-year history.

Learn more about this story at AFAR