Structural History

This is not part of the A to Z Challenge; I just had to write this because the news was so saddening and the ensuing commentary was so stark.

The Notre-Dame de Paris, a medieval Catholic cathedral and one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture, burned yesterday.  Renovations on the structure caused the centuries-old wood roof and spire to catch fire and collapse.  Initial investigations indicate that the fire was an accident and that the majority of the structure and the relics were saved, but that's cold comfort to the millions of people that are in mourning.

Of course the cynics of the Internet came out in force.  Below are a few samples (with names removed) where a discussion on the perceived value of historical structures devolves into interpretation of historical events.

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- So... Notre Dame was undergoing renovations, a fire started in the attic, half the cathedral caught on fire... No one died and they'll likely rebuild it.  Why are people crying and mourning, am I missing something?

- Meanwhile the Archdiocese of Paris has been turning to U.S. donors to raise $185 million since 1981 to help renovate Notre Dame which had been in a structural crisis due to decades of neglect.

• The real question is, do most people value structures, particularly Indigenous structures? It could be argued that Americans don't, considering how we've let our nation treat our Indigenous people.
• Exactly. Mount Rushmore was a sacred mountain to the Indigenous people before white people defaced it with their leaders.

- I don't get this, is the fact that they have been asking for millions of dollars from donors for renovation proof that they *don't* value history?

• Without the USA, France would still be under Nazi control, so shut up.
  
• Without France, the U.S. would still be paying taxes to the Queen. Your point?
  
• Freeing France from the Nazis has more historical importance.
  
• By the time the U.S. felt like doing anything for France, the Germans were already collapsing on the Eastern front. The only thing D-Day changed about the outcome of the war is give people like you that argument.
  
• It was an Allied effort; yes, the U.S. had a very large portion of it. But it was the Allies, including sections of free French, and free Polish military on land, sea, and air that won the day. Moreover the U.S. would not exist as it is without France. So really, we are even.
  
• Y'all shut up.  The history that is taught to children in school varies from country to country. Especially when it comes to wars. So none of you are probably 100% right. In all reality writing history is a form of art.

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Historical facts aside, my take on the matter is that structures teach us about who came before us: who they were, their perceptions of beauty and function, and their determination.  It's not just a building: it's an icon of design, construction, and faith.  That's why people mourn a building's demise.