# Is there an American monument that would provoke the same reaction as the Notre Dame fire? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 16, 2019, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-american-monument-that-would-provoke-the-same-reaction-as-the-notre-dame-fire/832617 "2019-04-16T08:15:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2019, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-american-monument-that-would-provoke-the-same-reaction-as-the-notre-dame-fire/832617/81 "2019-04-19T16:46:06Z")
> [@Borborygmi](#): > > I’m glad that Mt. Rushmore has been mentioned but I’m surprised how unmoved everyone here seems to be by the idea of losing it. I will forever be in awe of how it was carved by glaciers over thousands of years. If you use your imagination you can almost see people’s faces among the craggy outcrops. The talk of about Mount Rushmore reminds me that New Hampshire’s iconic “Old Man in the Mountain” stone face collapsed back on May 3, 2003. People in the state were definitely upset but they moved on quickly. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old\_Man\_of\_the\_Mountain](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Man_of_the_Mountain) ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2019, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-american-monument-that-would-provoke-the-same-reaction-as-the-notre-dame-fire/832617/82 "2019-04-19T18:28:53Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Have you been to Paris? Are you a history buff? Yes and absolutely loved it. And yes. > [@Jumpbass](#): > > I’m in the camp that the US doesn’t really have anything lite like Notre Dame. Closest I came up with is Disneyland also. Not so much Disney World- it’s a sequel. Disneyland is a place where people have great memories, has a bit of history, especially in the context of California, and is a monument to the great American ideal that you can start small and become an icon. > > The Golden Gate Bridge going down would break hearts here in California and not just because of the traffic problems. It’s an icon of the state. I just did a Google image search on “California” and got four kinds of images: maps, beaches, traffic and the GG Bridge. But let’s say that Disneyland became engulfed in flames. Some people might be upset, but would people be standing around watching in horror or be glued to the tv set? I’m not saying I wouldn’t be disappointed, upset, or some other mild form of ill at ease if certain U.S. buildings burned down (again accidentally with no loss of life) but all of our buildings are so comparatively new and so replaceable that I don’t see any real comparison. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2019, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-american-monument-that-would-provoke-the-same-reaction-as-the-notre-dame-fire/832617/83 "2019-04-19T20:15:13Z")
at one time id of said the statute of liberity … however since the words on it were once stirring but are now hypocritical I dont think it would be mourned that much … ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2019, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-american-monument-that-would-provoke-the-same-reaction-as-the-notre-dame-fire/832617/84 "2019-04-19T21:29:23Z")
Okay, if the Statue of Liberty caught fire, and then somehow fell onto the Smithsonian… ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2019, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-american-monument-that-would-provoke-the-same-reaction-as-the-notre-dame-fire/832617/85 "2019-04-19T21:35:44Z")
Not a monument, but I think a lot of people would be devastated if the National Air and Space Museum burnt down. Think of all the significant 20th century artifacts in it - the Wright Flyer, the Spirit of St Louis, the Bell X-1, the Apollo-11 Command Module… ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2019, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-american-monument-that-would-provoke-the-same-reaction-as-the-notre-dame-fire/832617/86 "2019-04-19T22:13:17Z")
I asked my high school students to name iconic buildings or structures. Taipei 101 was the obvious choice for Taiwan. The Statute of Liberty was the first thing thought of for America, along with the White House, the Hollywood sign and Times Square. In Japan, there was the Tokyo tower. In the UK, that one bell and a bridge, as they put it. South Korea drew a blank. Such is life, as narrated by 16-year-old Taiwanese kids. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-american-monument-that-would-provoke-the-same-reaction-as-the-notre-dame-fire/832617.md?page=4)