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Gustave Eiffel, Maurice Koechlin, and Emile Nouguier had their work chosen out 107 options to build for the festival.

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Before Construction was even started the Eiffel Tower was the subject of much controversy. Pamphlets and articles were published saying  le 14 février 1887, la protestation des Artistes.  Wich was basically telling people there was a protest to the tower being built on febuary 14 of 1889. The protest was signed off by many big names.

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Work on the Eiffel Tower began 2 years in advance before the fair started.

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Key figures

The construction schedule

The Design of the Eiffel Tower

The plan to build a tower 300 metres high was conceived as part of preparations for the World's Fair of 1889.

The wager was to " study the possibility of erecting an iron tower on the Champ-de-Mars with a square base, 125 metres across and 300 metres tall". Selected from among 107 projects, it was that of Gustave Eiffel, an entrepreneur, Maurice Koechlin and Emile Nouguier, both engineers, and Stephen Sauvestre, an architect, that was accepted.

Emile Nouguier and Maurice Koechlin, the two chief engineers in Eiffel's company, had the idea for a very tall tower in June 1884. It was to be designed like a large pylon with four columns of lattice work girders, separated at the base and coming together at the top, and joined to each other by more metal girders at regular intervals.

The tower project was a bold extension of this principle up to a height of 300 metres - equivalent to the symbolic figure of 1000 feet. On September 18 1884 Eiffel registered a patent "for a new configuration allowing the construction of metal supports and pylons capable of exceeding a height of 300 metres".
In order to make the project more acceptable to public opinion, Nouguier and Koechlin commissioned the architect Stephen Sauvestre to work on the project's appearance.

A quite different first edition

Sauvestre proposed stonework pedestals to dress the legs, monumental arches to link the columns and the first level, large glass-walled halls on each level, a bulb-shaped design for the top and various other ornamental features to decorate the whole of the structure. In the end the project was simplified, but certain elements such as the large arches at the base were retained, which in part give it its very characteristic appearance.

The curvature of the uprights is mathematically determined to offer the most efficient wind resistance possible. As Eiffel himself explains: "All the cutting force of the wind passes into the interior of the leading edge uprights. Lines drawn tangential to each upright with the point of each tangent at the same height, will always intersect at a second point, which is exactly the point through which passes the flow resultant from the action of the wind on that part of the tower support situated above the two points in question. Before coming together at the high pinnacle, the uprights appear to burst out of the ground, and in a way to be shaped by the action of the wind".

The assembly of the supports began on July 1, 1887 and was completed twenty-two months later.

All the elements were prepared in Eiffel's factory located at Levallois-Perret on the outskirts of Paris. Each of the 18,000 pieces used to construct the Tower were specifically designed and calculated, traced out to an accuracy of a tenth of a millimetre and then put together forming new pieces around five metres each. A team of constructors, who had worked on the great metal viaduct projects, were responsible for the 150 to 300 workers on site assembling this gigantic erector set.

The rivet workers

All the metal pieces of the tower are held together by rivets, a well-refined method of construction at the time the Tower was constructed. First the pieces were assembled in the factory using bolts, later to be replaced one by one with thermally assembled rivets, which contracted during cooling thus ensuring a very tight fit. A team of four men was needed for each rivet assembled: one to heat it up, another to hold it in place, a third to shape the head and a fourth to beat it with a sledgehammer. Only a third of the 2,500,000 rivets used in the construction of the Tower were inserted directly on site.

The uprights rest on concrete foundations installed a few metres below ground-level on top of a layer of compacted gravel. Each corner edge rests on its own supporting block, applying to it a pressure of 3 to 4 kilograms per square centimetre, and each block is joined to the others by walls.

On the Seine side of the construction, the builders used watertight metal caissons and injected compressed air, so that they were able to work below the level of the water.

The tower was assembled using wooden scaffolding and small steam cranes mounted onto the tower itself.

The assembly of the first level was achieved by the use of twelve temporary wooden scaffolds, 30 metres high, and four larger scaffolds of 40 metres each.

"Sand boxes" and hydraulic jacks - replaced after use by permanent wedges - allowed the metal girders to be positioned to an accuracy of one millimetre.

On December 7, 1887, the joining of the major girders up to the first level was completed. The pieces were hauled up by steam cranes, which themselves climbed up the Tower as they went along using the runners to be used for the Tower's lifts.

5

months to build the foundations

The number

It only took five months to build the foundations and twenty-one to finish assembling the metal pieces of the Tower.

Considering the rudimentary means available at that period, this could be considered record speed. The assembly of the Tower was a marvel of precision, as all chroniclers of the period agree. The construction work began in January 1887 and was finished on March 31, 1889. On the narrow platform at the top, Eiffel received his decoration from the Legion of Honour.

Journalist Emile Goudeau describes the spectacle visiting the construction site at the beginning of 1889.

"A thick cloud of tar and coal smoke seized the throat, and we were deafened by the din of metal screaming beneath the hammer. Over there they were still working on the bolts: workmen with their iron bludgeons, perched on a ledge just a few centimetres wide, took turns at striking the bolts (these in fact were the rivets). One could have taken them for blacksmiths contentedly beating out a rhythm on an anvil in some village forge, except that these smiths were not striking up and down vertically, but horizontally, and as with each blow came a shower of sparks, these black figures, appearing larger than life against the background of the open sky, looked as if they were reaping lightning bolts in the clouds."

Mr. Eiffel's Blueprints

The following blueprints are copies of Gustave Eiffel's originals, taken from the book La Tour de 300 mètres, Ed. Lemercier, Paris 1900

Debate and controversy surrounding the Eiffel Tower

Even before the end of its construction, the Tower was already at the heart of much debate. Enveloped in criticism from the biggest names in the world of Art and Literature, the Tower managed to stand its ground and achieve the success it deserved.

Various pamphlets and articles were published throughout the year of 1886, le 14 février 1887, la protestation des Artistes.

The "Protest against the Tower of Monsieur Eiffel", published in the newspaper Le Temps, is addressed to the World's Fair's director of works, Monsieur Alphand. It is signed by several big names from the world of literature and the arts : Charles Gounod, Guy de Maupassant, Alexandre Dumas junior, François Coppée, Leconte de Lisle, Sully Prudhomme, William Bouguereau, Ernest Meissonier, Victorien Sardou, Charles Garnier and others to whom posterity has been less kind.

Other satirists pushed the violent diatribe even further, hurling insults like : "this truly tragic street lamp" (Léon Bloy), "this belfry skeleton" (Paul Verlaine), "this mast of iron gymnasium apparatus, incomplete, confused and deformed" (François Coppée), "this high and skinny pyramid of iron ladders, this giant ungainly skeleton upon a base that looks built to carry a colossal monument of Cyclops, but which just peters out into a ridiculous thin shape like a factory chimney" (Maupassant), "a half-built factory pipe, a carcass waiting to be fleshed out with freestone or brick, a funnel-shaped grill, a hole-riddled suppository" (Joris-Karl Huysmans).

Once the Tower was finished the criticism burnt itself out in the presence of the completed masterpiece, and in the light of the enormous popular success with which it was greeted. It received two million visitors during the World's Fair of 1889.

An extract from the "Protest against the Tower of Monsieur Eiffel", 1887

" We come, we writers, painters, sculptors, architects, lovers of the beauty of Paris which was until now intact, to protest with all our strength and all our indignation, in the name of the underestimated taste of the French, in the name of French art and history under threat, against the erection in the very heart of our capital, of the useless and monstrous Eiffel Tower which popular ill-feeling, so often an arbiter of good sense and justice, has already christened the Tower of Babel. (...)

Is the City of Paris any longer to associate itself with the baroque and mercantile fancies of a builder of machines, thereby making itself irreparably ugly and bringing dishonour ? (...). To comprehend what we are arguing one only needs to imagine for a moment a tower of ridiculous vertiginous height dominating Paris,just like a gigantic black factory chimney, its barbarous mass overwhelming and humiliating all our monuments and belittling our works of architecture, which will just disappear before this stupefying folly.

And for twenty years we shall see spreading across the whole city, a city shimmering with the genius of so many centuries, we shall see spreading like an ink stain, the odious shadow of this odious column of bolted metal.

Gustave Eiffel's Response

In an interview in the newspaper Le Temps of February 14 1887, Eiffel gave a reply to the artists' protest, neatly summing up his artistic doctrine:

"For my part I believe that the Tower will possess its own beauty. Are we to believe that because one is an engineer, one is not preoccupied by beauty in one's constructions, or that one does not seek to create elegance as well as solidity and durability ? Is it not true that the very conditions which give strength also conform to the hidden rules of harmony ? (...) Now to what phenomenon did I have to give primary concern in designing the Tower ? It was wind resistance.

Well then ! I hold that the curvature of the monument's four outer edges, which is as mathematical calculation dictated it should be (...) will give a great impression of strength and beauty, for it will reveal to the eyes of the observer the boldness of the design as a whole. Likewise the many empty spaces built into the very elements of construction will clearly display the constant concern not to submit any unnecessary surfaces to the violent action of hurricanes, which could threaten the stability of the edifice. Moreover there is an attraction in the colossal, and a singular delight to which ordinary theories of art are scarcely applicable".

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The birth of the Eiffel Tower - Official Eiffel Tower Website

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The plan to build a tower 300 metres high was conceived as part of preparations for the World's Fair of 1889. The wager was to " study the possibility of erecting an iron tower on the Champ-de-Mars with a square base, 125 metres across and 300 metres tall".

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Construction on the tower was finished after 2 years, 2 months, and 5 days. It took 150 workers in the Levallois-Perret factory, between 150 and 300 workers on the construction site,2,500,000 rivets, 7,300 tons of iron 60 tons of paint, and 5 lifts.

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The Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, has serious celeb status. Completed in March 1889, it's one of the most recognizable monuments in the world. And the site, which is also known as the Iron Lady, receives nearly seven millions tourists a year. But despite its fame, the tower has some monumental secrets. Get the lowdown on this Parisian highlight.

HIDDEN APARTMENT

If you were in charge of constructing the Eiffel Tower, where else would you live but...the Eiffel Tower? Gustave Eiffel, who designed the landmark, built himself a small apartment on the top level of the structure. The sky-high hideaway had plush rugs, oil paintings, and even a grand piano. Only a few VIPs were allowed to visit, such as superstar scientist Thomas Edison. Unused since the 1920s after Eiffel's death, few knew about the 950-foot-high pad until 2015 when it opened for public viewing.

SKY LAB

The top of the Eiffel Tower seems like the perfect spot to study stars and weather. No wonder Eiffel set up two small laboratories on the third level where astonomers and meteorologists could work. Eiffel conducted his own experiments as well. To learn more about how objects move against air, he dropped items attached to cords from the second level of the tower (about 380 feet aboveground) and observed how they fell.

GREEN SCENE

Maybe this landmark should be renamed the Eco Tower. In 2015 workers gave the Iron Lady an environmentally friendly makeover by installing two wind turbines on the second level of the structure. These devices convert wind into electricity for the tower's shops and restaurants. A system was also set up to collect and funnel rainwater into the tower's toilets.

FAIR FRENZY

The Eiffel Tower was officially opened at the 1889 world's fair. First held in London, England, in 1851, world's fairs showcased cutting-edge inventions, architecture, and art from around the globe. The events have revealed many "futuristic" inventions, including the Ferris wheel, the television, x-ray machines, and ice cream cones. The world's fair, which is now called an expo, is held every three years in a different city and country around the world.

SPY HIGH

The Eiffel Tower doubled as a secret agent! During World War I-a worldwide conflict that lasted from 1914 to 1918-the French military used the tower's radio and telegraph center to communicate with ground troops and battleships. It also intercepted enemy messages. In 1916 the tower picked up a message about a female spy known as the Mata Hari. Using the captured information, the French military tracked down and arrested the agent.

CALLING ALL DAREDEVILS

Some people visit the Eiffel Tower for the view. Others come for more daring thrills. In 1889 a man walked up 704 of the tower's steps...on stilts. In 1952 three trapeze artists swung 400 feet aboveground from ropes without a net. And in 2010 a man roller-skated off a platform set up under the tower's first level down a 90-foot-tall ramp to the ground.

TRUE COLORS

The Eiffel Tower has had a colorful history-literally. The original structure was dark red. In 1899 it was painted yellow. About 50 years ago the tower was coated in bronze paint. Today the Eiffel Tower, which gets a paint job every several years, is covered in almost 16,000 gallons of paint.

Text by Sean McCollum from National Geographic Kids magazine, March 2016.

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Behind the scenes of this amazing landmark.

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The Eiffel Tower was built to be a main attraction in the Paris world fair of 1889. It was built in record time. 300 million people have visited it since it was built.

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Here's some background information about the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

Facts

Almost seven million people visit the Eiffel Tower annually.

About 300 million visitors have been to the tower since its opening.

Designer Gustave Eiffel had a small apartment cloistered away in the upper reaches of the tower. In 2016, a second (temporary) apartment was built inside the tower by vacation rental company, HomeAway. The firm held a contest, selecting four winners to spend one night each in the apartment, with up to five guests.

The names of 72 French scientists are listed on the four sides of the tower.

The premises are under video surveillance.

Security checks are performed prior to entry and visitors are required to disclose the contents of their bags.

There is a police station located at the foot of the south pillar.

Timeline

Construction: 1887-1889 (2 years, 2 months and 5 days).

1889 - The tower opens during the Universal Exposition, a fair celebrating the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. It is the tallest structure in the world until 1930, when the Chrysler Building opens in New York.

1981-1982 - Two phases of renovations are completed, with new facilities including a conference room, post office and screening room.

1985 - An illumination system called Golden Lighting is unveiled, with 336 projectors and yellow-orange lamps.

December 31, 1999 - A sparkling light show debuts to mark the new millennium. The lights glimmer nightly for five minutes every hour on the hour until 1 a.m. Originally planned as a temporary display, the light show becomes a permanent fixture by popular demand.

October 2014 - A glass walkway opens with views of the street 187 feet below.

September 20, 2015 - Security officers spot three people climbing the tower. The climbers escape before police arrive and the tower opens after being inspected by an emergency response unit.

November 2015 - The tower is closed for two days following the terror attacks in Paris. When it reopens, it is lit up with the colors of the French flag.

January 13, 2017 - Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo announces a 300 million euro ($318 million) renovation of the tower that will take 15 years to complete and will include increasing security and reducing waiting times for visitors.

February 9, 2017 - It is announced that two glass walls will be erected around the base of the Eiffel Tower. These walls will provide increased security and be more visually appealing than the current metal fencing.

September 18, 2017 - Construction begins on the three meters high glass fence around the North-South viewpoint of the tower. The glass is 65 millimeters thick, resistant to bullets and extra clear.

June 20, 2018 - The tower's official website announces that the new glass wall is ready to be unveiled.

May 20, 2019 - The tower is closed and evacuated after a man is spotted climbing up the side. The situation lasts just over seven hours before the climber's capture.

May 21, 2019 - Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo announces a plan to transform the passage connecting Trocadero Square to the tower into a "green corridor" for pedestrians by 2024. It will be the largest public green space in the city.

March 13, 2020 - The tower closes to the public due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

June 25, 2020 - The tower reopens with pandemic restrictions.

October 30, 2020 - The tower closes to the public due to a surge of Covid-19 cases.

July 16, 2021 - The tower reopens after more than eight months with new pandemic restrictions. This is the landmark's longest closure since World War II.

Construction

Original designers: Gustave Eiffel, Maurice Koechlin, Emile Nouguier, Stephen Sauvestre.

50 engineers and designers produced 5,300 workshop designs.

The tower was constructed with some 18,038 individual metallic pieces.

Characteristics

Height: 330 meters (1,083 feet)

Metal framework weight: 7,300 tons of iron

Total weight: 10,100 tons

The Tower is repainted every seven years, with 60 metric tons of paint.

There are 1,665 steps to the top of the tower.

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Here's some background information about the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Almost seven million people visit the Eiffel Tower annually. About 300 million visitors have been to the tower since its opening. Designer Gustave Eiffel had a small apartment cloistered away in the upper reaches of the tower.