KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Union Station in Kansas City, Missouri, lit up in blue, white and red Monday night; the colors of the French flag. The lights paid tribute to the people of France who are grieving after a fire tore through one of Paris’ most popular landmarks: Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral.
Staff from the historic Kansas City train station wrote on Twitter they hope the church will rise from ashes to greet generations in the future.
“A building of such historic significance is a place of memories, emotions, celebrations and a connection between the past, present and future. We can only imagine the immediate sense of shock and loss felt by the people of Paris who watched this tragedy unfold before them,” the post went on.
Across Kansas City, groups, organizations and people shared their stories about the cathedral and showed their support for the French.
“Absolutely heartbreaking,” the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce wrote on Facebook.
“We’re thinking of the people of France in your time of grief,” a post on the Alliance Française de Kansas City said.
The Nelson Atkins Museum shared a work of art featuring Notre Dame on Facebook with a post saying, “Our thoughts are with Paris as the world grapples with this tragedy.”
Notre Dame survived World War I. The National WWI Museum and Memorial called news of the fire “heartbreaking.” It shared a quote from a famous French author to show solidarity.
Kansas City woman Melis Akiz, who has visited Notre Dame shared a tribute to the cathedral with 41 Action News.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to see Notre Dame in all its beauty but broke my heart to watch such a monument of our universal heritage go up in flames so helplessly. But the French have proven to be resilient and I believe the world will come together to rebuild our collective heritage,” she wrote.
A Wichita area representative in the Kansas legislature also remembered visiting the landmark. In a post on Facebook, Brenda Landwehr told her constituents, “The beauty and history will never be replaced. I will forever charish (sic) the rosaries we purchased for our grandchildren and the replica of the statue at the altar.”
