Why Was it Built?
The Eiffel Tower, nicknamed “La dame de fer” or “The Iron Lady,” has over a century-long history dating back to the late 1800s. Through the summer of 1889, beginning in May and ending in November, the Exposition Universelle was organized to demonstrate France’s industrial and technological prowess and marking the 100th year anniversary of the French Revolution.
The idea of a tower was conceived to be the centerpiece of the event, in which other architectural pieces would be built around. Although not yet named, hundreds of ideas for the design were entered for consideration years prior to the event. Among all of the entries, the design as we know it today, constructed by Gustave Eiffel’s company Compagnie des Etablissements, was declared the winner.
Construction of the Tower
Although the tower bears his name as the head of the company, the tower design was not arranged by Gustave Eiffel alone. Maurice Koechlin and Emile Nouguier, as well as Stephen Sauvestre, all took a part in submitting the tower’s winning plan. Nevertheless, Eiffel was well-known long before the tower was built, and he first made a name for himself in other construction projects, such as the Observatoire de Nice (astronomical observatory) in Nice, France.
The tower only took an impressive two years to build, which considering that assembly was done with wooden scaffolds and hydraulic jacks that had to position pieces to an accuracy within a millimeter, this was no small feat. 5,300 workshop designs, 50 engineers and designers, 150 factory workers, 150-300 construction workers, 7,300 tons of iron, 60 tons of paint, and 2 years and 5 months of construction later, the tower was completed on March 31, 1889.
The 1889 World Fair
Despite Gustave Eiffel’s professional expertise, there were some who found the building of the Eiffel Tower controversial, some calling it a “gigantic black factory chimney” and “useless and monstrous.” Despite the initial criticism, the tower drew immediate attention from tourists as the world’s tallest structure, and the tower cemented Eiffel’s name in the history books. Eiffel even went on to joke: ”I ought to be jealous of the tower. She is more famous than I am."
Even when the lifts were not yet in service, in the first week of the fair, almost 30,000 visitors climbed the 1,710 steps to the top. For its time, the Eiffel Tower was the tallest tower in the world, so people from all corners of the world were rushing to experience the view over Paris from the grand structure. The Eiffel Tower was not the only building constructed for the fair, either. Other structures, such as the Galerie des machines (which served as a center for agriculture) were also erected for the event, and some reused for later expositions in Paris, but the Eiffel Tower was the only one to avoid demolition despite its initial contract to remain standing for only twenty years.
A Permanent Monument
Once the fair came to a close, having meant to be only a temporary structure, the tower was planned for disassembly in 1909 (to be used for scrap metal by the government, no less!). However, in an attempt to save his creation, Eiffel erected an antenna on the structure to demonstrate its functional potential as a radio tower as well as a useful site for aerodynamic research. With a laboratory at its base, as well as its expansive heights, the tower could be employed for experiments in wind resistance, which Eiffel’s own work influenced even the Wright Brothers and other aviators.
The functional value of the tower ultimately came as the tallest radio tower in Paris once Eiffel’s experiments proved its efficiency. The sending of wireless messages was especially valued by the French military, which ultimately let to the renewal of the tower’s concession. Today, more than 100 antennae broadcast countless radio and television programs around the world.
The Icon of Paris
Now, over a century later, the Eiffel Tower remains the icon of the city of love. According to the official website, the tower has more than 7 million visitors a year and adds up to at least 250 million visitors worldwide since its opening in 1889.
The legacy of the La Tour Eiffel that lives on are best described in the words of Gudek Snajdar (art historian and museum docent at Culture Tourist): the tower represents Paris as the “center of modern art...at the time,” the “home to democracy”, and a symbol as “a birthplace of modern architecture.” The Eiffel Tower is forever a monument to the ingenuity of French architecture and a symbol of art reaching far beyond the border of France.
