Henri Deneux (1874-1969), the chief architect of historical monuments in charge of the reconstruction of the framework of Reims cathedral, knew the monument very well. Before the First World War, he was fascinated by the frameworks of the Middle Ages and, as if by a sort of premonition, he studied every corner of Notre-Dame de Reims and drew up a precise survey. When he was asked to restore the church, he was already ready. The costs of the restoration were borne by the French government and by generous private donors, such as the American entrepreneur and philanthropist John Davison Rockefeller Jr, who financed the roof.