There is now tragic irony in the comment that, among visitors to Paris, all roads lead to the Cathedral of Notre Dame. The eyes of the world were on the iconic, 850-year-old structure on April 15, 2019, as fire ripped through one of France’s major tourist destinations. Among many, thoughts quickly moved from the present disaster to the future, with donations pouring in to support reconstruction. But people of various nationalities and faiths have looked back to the past, recalling memories of their own visits to this landmark. And members of Purdue’s global family are no exception.

Darcy Bullock, P.E., Lyles Family Professor of Civil Engineering and director of the Joint Transportation Research Program in the College of Engineering, thought back to the spring of 2016, when he led students in a study-abroad class to Paris and several other cities. Their focus was on multimodal systems and integrated infrastructure in a class titled “21st Century European Transportation.” The group had set aside time during their Paris visit to bike over to the cathedral.

“Notre Dame was one of the first structures constructed using flying buttresses for load transfer and was one of our stops that blended culture and structural engineering history,” Bullock recalled after the disaster last month. “I, as well as our students from 2016, will be eager to watch and learn how the restoration process will unfold.”

One participant in the course, a Purdue civil engineering student who since has graduated, was keeping a daily diary as an aid for study and nostalgia. Three years ago, on May 14, he wrote: “Mass at Notre Dame, another surreal experience for which I will be forever grateful…. I have not been to a church like Notre Dame ever.”

View photos taken and posted by Bullock, depicting the Paris excursions that inspired him and his students and scroll down to see the memorable structure, whose French name means “Our Lady,” as it stood in 2016.

Writer: William Schmitt