THIS MONTH: The Eiffel Tower, celebrating 135 years of history

As the Eiffel Tower celebrates its 135th birthday on March 31, 2024, it’s time to look back at its history in the spotlight of the 2024 Olympic Games.

The creation of the Eiffel Tower

For the World Exhibition of 1889, a date that marked the hundred-year anniversary of the French Revolution, a major competition was launched in the French government’s Journal Officiel. The challenge was to “study the possibility of erecting an iron tower with a square base on Champ-de-Mars, 410 feet wide and 984 feet high”. Out of 107 projects, it was that of entrepreneur Gustave Eiffel, engineers Maurice Koechlin and Emile Nouguier, and architect Stephen Saucestre that was selected.

An unusual project

The assembly of the pillars started on July 1, 1887 and was completed 21 months later. All elements were prepared at the Levallois-Perret factory just outside Paris, the seat of the Eiffel company. Each of the Tower’s 18,000 parts was designed and calculated before being traced down to the minutest detail and assembled in approximately 16-feet parts.

Fifty engineers and designers created 5,300 drawings and over a hundred laborers pre-fabricated over 18,000 different pieces. On site, between 150 and 300 laborers, supervised by a team of highly experienced workers from large metal viaduct projects, assembled the giant Meccano-style construction.

The monument was inaugurated on March 31, 1889. On this day, Gustave Eiffel climbed the Tower’s 1,710 steps to raise the tricolor French flag at the top. Until 1929, the Eiffel Tower was the highest building in the world, at which point the Chrysler Building (1,047 feet) overtook it.

Instant success for the highest tower in the world…

The 1889 Paris World Exhibition received millions of visitors. Nearly 2 million of them came to discover the Eiffel Tower, i.e. nearly 12,000 per day! From the beginning, the Tower was a huge hit.

In the first week, even though the lifts were not yet operational, nearly 30,000 visitors climbed the monument by foot, 1,710 steps to the top. At the time, the Eiffel Tower was the highest tower in the world and people from all over the world rushed to the heart of the capital to admire this jewel of architecture. The public wanted not only to experience the giddying climb but above all, admire the hitherto unseen panorama of Paris.

…but a controversial beginning nevertheless

Like many large architectural projects that are now a part of our heritage, the Tower had its share of detractors. When it was being constructed, there were violent protests from multiple figures. On February 14, 1887, Le Temps published an open letter, written by around fifty artists from the world of literature and art who opposed the Eiffel Tower. This missive was addressed to Mr. Alphand, curator of the 1889 World Exhibition, to protest against the construction of a 984-foot tower on the Champ-de-Mars. Gustave Eiffel defended his project tooth and nail, but the controversy continued. Some would later publicly apologize.

The Eiffel Tower in Numbers

More than a monument, the Eiffel Tower is the symbol of Paris and France! It is undeniably one of the most well-known works of structural art in the world and most frequently depicted silhouettes. Here are a few key numbers integral to the Tower’s history.

6,000,000

The average number of annual visitors, with 75% from overseas, making it the most visited ticketed monument in the world. Over 300 million visitors have come to see it since it opened to the public.

1889

The year it was built. For the World Exhibition of 1889, a date that marked the hundred-year anniversary of the French Revolution, a major competition was launched in the French government’s Journal Officiel.

800
The number of employees, both of SETE and the concessionaires, who work at the monument on a daily basis.

7

The average number of years between painting campaigns.

20

The number of years it was supposed to exist. It was saved by the science experiments encouraged by Eiffel, particularly the first radio transmissions, then telecommunications.

1,083

Its current height in feet, including the new 20-foot antenna installed in March 2022.

2 years, 2 months & 5 days

How long it took to build, a true technical and architectural feat. Ground was broken on January 28, 1887. March 31, 1889 marked the completion of the Tower, in record time, representing a high point for the industrial era. “Utopia achieved” in the late 19th century – this was the demonstration of French genius as embodied by Gustave Eiffel.

6,6

The speed of the lifts, in ft/ second.

20,000

The number of lightbulbs that make the Tower sparkle.

1,665

The number of steps from the esplanade to the top, taking the staircase in the East pillar. More specifically, there are 345 steps from the esplanade to the first floor; 359 from the first to the second; and 932 between the second and third floors.

5

The number of lifts from the ground to the second floor: 1 in the East pillar, 1 in the West pillar, 1 in the North pillar, 1 (private) in the South pillar serving Le Jules Verne Restaurant and 1 goods lift in the South pillar. From the second floor to the top, 4 lifts operate in pairs.

2,500,000

The number of rivets on the Tower, which are small parts used to assemble two metal pieces.

60

The approximate weight in tons of paint for each campaign.