Following the great fire of 1914, Reims Cathedral was subject to other bombardments in 1917. Large caliber shells pierced the vault in five locations. The collapse of the upper part of the building was narrowly avoided thanks to the consolidation of the transept crossing's southeast pillar by military engineers. The architect Henri Deneux rebuilt the cathedral's frame from 1924 to 1926 with the help of the Carnegie Endowment and the Ford and Rockefeller foundations. Considered the cathedral's savior and decorated with the Legion of Honour, he died in general indifference in 1969.