The birth of the Eiffel Tower (pictures)
Joint project of the Google Cultural Institute and the Eiffel Tower Operating Company digs into the archives to chronicle the story of this amazing monument's development.
Reproductions of original drawings by Gustave Eiffel (first floor)
It opened up to visitors in 1889 and was the world's tallest monument for four decades. Since then, more than 250 million people have visited.
Here's one of the founding documents for the tower, thanks to a joint project of the Google Cultural Institute and the Eiffel Tower Operating Company. The organizations dug through archives to chronicle the story of this amazing monument's development.
Copy of Gustave Eiffel's original plates (2nd floor)
Preliminary sketch of tower
Gustave Eiffel registered a patent "for a new configuration allowing the construction of metal supports and pylons capable of exceeding a height of 300 metres."
Champ de Mars and Ecole Militaire
The Champ de Mars and Ecole Militaire from the heights of the Trocadero before the construction of the Eiffel Tower.
Construction: Tangle wire mesh near the first platform - January 1888
Elevator system brings visitors to the second floor
Tower foundations
Work on the tower foundations began on January 26, 1887. That work finished up four months later.
Excavating foundation
Drawing of workman excavating the foundation of the tower.
Breaking ground
Construction started on July 1, 1887. Workers completed the tower 21 months later.
Scaffolding
Temporary wooden scaffolds were used to assemble the first floor of the Eiffel Tower.
Getting there
Piece by piece, the tower takes shape.
First stage of the tower completed
The finished product: Eiffel Tower: 1889 Exposition Universelle
The finished product was made with help from 18,038 metal parts, 5,300 workshop drawings, 50 engineers and draughtsmen, 150 workers employed at the Levallois-Perret factory, between 150 and 300 workers on the construction site, 2,500,000 rivets, 7,300 tons of iron and 60 tons of paint.
Gustave Eiffel
Portrait of Portrait de Gustave Eiffel.
The official opening: May 15, 1889
The Eiffel Tower remained the world's highest construction until the Chrysler Building was erected in New York in 1930.
Open to visitors
Souvenirs
High above the city, commerce -- in the form of tchotchkes -- awaits. Even back then.
Lift off
Two of the original lifts are still in service on the Eiffel Tower today.
Billet
A hot ticket at the time. Even hotter today.
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