The tricky thing is it's already a sociologically fraught situation in that France's biggest luxury houses pledged 700m Euros to rebuild it. Rich people see this as trickle down economics. Not-rich people see this as proof that the rich need to be taxed more because, after all, it's not like they're giving 700m euros for hunger. Modernize Notre Dame and you're talking about memorializing a new Gilded Age which, frankly, will probably be a treasure 100 years from now but for the 90 years before that will be a divisive symbol of inequality.
Tricky indeed. I've worked on many public building designs. Community centers, recreation centers, libraries. One time my team was told that our proposal looked too good. The city did not want the perception that they were spending taxpayer funds frivolously. So instead of getting a building the town could perhaps be proud(er) of, they were given something not as good in my opinion. This is a different sitation though. It would be cool to watch a man-on-the-street type of interview to see how Notre Dame symbolically lives inside the minds of everyday Parisians.