The Notre Dame Project is Heading to Ann Arbor!
Ethan Higgins of Roof Jumper Timber Frames guides a group of Handshouse participants in walking the lower cord of the reconstructed truss #6 through the streets of Washington DC in 2021 from where the Notre-Dame Truss was on display at the National Mall to its exhibition at the National Building museum. This hands-on transport was made possible thanks to Grigg Mullen III’s Precise Solutions’ timber cart. Ethan Higgins will be leading the reassembly of the truss in Ann Arbor on October 17th!
We are celebrating the American carpenters who worked on the reconstruction of Notre-Dame de Paris!
In 2019, the Notre-Dame Cathedral burned. In 2021, Handshouse Studio led a team of experts, historians, architects, and students to accurately reconstruct one of the timber trusses that once supported the roof of Notre-Dame! As a result, Handshouse representatives were invited to France to work on the reconstruction of Notre-Dame’s timber roof in France!
Timber Framers from all over the US will be coming to Michigan for the Timber Framers Guild Conference this October. Some of the talented American carpenters who worked on the restoration of Notre-Dame in France will be together in Ann Arbor and we want to take this opportunity to celebrate their work with the world.
Come see a Notre-Dame Truss Replica in the streets of Ann Arbor on Oct. 17th
What does it mean to reconstruct this culturally outstanding work of architecture? Come Find Out!
Thursday, Oct 17th, 2024 LIST OF EVENTS
The Handshouse Studio Notre Dame Project’s “Choir Truss #6” reconstruction being raised on the National Mall, Washington, DC (2021)
Notre-Dame Truss Replica Exhibition
Handshouse Studio’s full-scale replica of a Notre-Dame de Paris roof truss will be standing for viewing.
Choir Truss #6 will be on exhibition at
Ann Arbor Art Center
October 17th ONLY!
117 W Liberty St, Ann Arbor, MI
Truss will be standing 11:00am to 2:00pm
WORK IN PROGRESS: Model of the Notre-Dame de Paris roof framework, 1:10 scale, white oak, pictured here with workshop participants at the University of Georgia, Lamar Dodd School of Art in Athens, GA, Fall 2022.
La Forêt Model Exhibition
Handshouse Studio has expanded participation in the Notre-Dame Project through hands-on workshops collaboratively completing a 1:10 scale white oak model of the intricate wooden roof structure known as “La Forêt” (“The Forest”) that once stood above Notre-Dame de Paris.
La Forêt Model will be on exhibition at
Ann Arbor Art Center
October 17th- October 19th, 2024
117 W Liberty St, Ann Arbor, MI
Hours: Thurs–Fri from 10:00am to 7:00pm, Saturday 10:00am to 3:00pm
Chief Architects of Historic Monuments, Philippe Villeneuve and Rémi Fromont, visiting the Handshouse Notre Truss replica at Catholic University in DC (2022.)
Q+A with Project participants
Come join us under the truss to ask Notre-Dame Project participants your questions, including Jackson DuBois, Executive Director of the Timber framers Guild and Notre-Dame Project representative who worked alongside French carpenters to reconstruct Notre-Dame de Paris in France.
Project Participants will be available for questions
Ann Arbor Art Center
October 17th
117 W Liberty St, Ann Arbor, MI
Hours: 11:30- 12:30pm
Michael Burrey and Jackson DuBois (pictured here in the center of the left Quatrafoil) with the French carpentry company Asselin, where they worked in 2023 rebuilding the 315-foot timber spire of Notre-Dame de Paris, designed by 19th-century restoration architect Eugène-Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc.
Presentation: The Gift of Repair
Learn how a gesture of global solidarity among makers became an embodied act of reconstruction across borders through the Handshouse Studio: Notre-Dame Project.
Presented by: Lindsay Cook, Professor of Architectural History at Penn State University and Marie Brown, Executive Director of Handshouse Studio, and Notre-Dame Project Director
Ann Arbor Art Center
October 17th
117 W Liberty St, Ann Arbor, MI
Hours: 6:30- 7:30pm
This exhibition has been made possible by the generous support of:
Ann Arbor Arts Center
Alta Equipment Company
Brenda Baker
LowerTown Cafe
Operating Engineers Local 324
Penn State University
Roof Jumper Timber Frames
Sam Beauford Woodworking Institute
Timber Framers Guild
These Projects are Only possible through the support of a community—Want to join in?
Handshouse Studio is a 501c(3) non-profit organization. Donations are tax-deductible. Our tax ID number is 04-3715575.
Truss Assembly Team Volunteer Sign Up
IF YOU HAVE EXPERIENCE MOVING HEAVY TIMBER, WORKING AROUND HEAVY MACHINERY, AND ARE INTERESTED IN OFFERING YOUR SKILL TO THIS EVENT, SIGN UP HERE TO REQUESTING A SPOT IN THE ASSEMBLY TEAM. PLEASE UNDERSTAND SPACE IS VERY LIMITED!. WE WILL BE IN TOUCH WITH YOU TO LET YOU KNOW HOW YOU CAN PARTICIPATE. THANK YOU!
THIS Event IS POSSIBLE BY THE SUPPORT OF a COMMUNITY!
The Notre Dame Project is presented at the Ann Arbor Art Center by Handshouse Studio in collaboration with Lower Town Bar and Cafe, Roof Jumpers Timber Frames, Sam Beauford Woodworking Institute, and the Timber Framers Guild. The crane is generously supplied by Alta Equipment Company and operated by Operating Engineers Local 324.
For MOre Information or to ask about becoming a Sponsor:
Contact: Marie Brown, Executive Director of Handshouse Studio at marie@handshouse.org
Handshouse Studio is a 501c(3) non-profit organization. Donations are tax-deductible. Our tax ID number is 04-3715575.