Join carpenter Hank Silver for an inside look at the remarkable reconstruction of Notre-Dame’s iconic roof. From hewing oak logs in Normandy to assembling the intricate medieval-style roof trusses in Paris, Silver will guide us through the craftsmanship, engineering, and devotion behind this historic restoration. This talk offers a rare glimpse into the traditional techniques and collaborative efforts across many disciplines that brought the historic cathedral back to life.
About the speaker:
Hank Silver is an American carpenter who spent close to two years working on the restoration of the medieval roof framing of Notre-Dame de Paris. Starting with 600 oak logs, the crew hand-hewed over one thousand beams using medieval-patterned axes, reproduced the 13th-century wooden joinery, and installed the finished frame in Paris. Silver is a member of the volunteer crew, Charpentiers sans frontières (Carpenters Without Borders), whose mission is the restoration of world carpentry heritage and the transmission of the skills and techniques to future generations.
Silver is a 2025-26 Director’s Grant recipient at the American Library in Paris as he works on a memoir on his experience in the historic restoration of the cathedral.
Photo credit: Rebatir Notre-Dame
