The Eiffel Tower, also known as the ‘La Tour Eiffel’, is a world-renowned structure in France.The tower was created to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. The tower was co-created by Gustave Eiffel, Emile Nouguier, and Maurice Koechlin.Today, the tower is seen as one of the most iconic monuments in the modern world. This landmark is recognizable throughout the world and is a great example of the architecture of the 19th century. At the time of its creation, the monument raised various complaints and protests that requested to put a stop to the construction as it was deemed an unnecessary creation. The construction took place even with the protests, and now, the monument is seen as a massive landmark that has garnered a huge fan-following around the world. It is seen as a humongous achievement in technology and construction and sees a massive 7 million tourists visiting it every year as it keeps its reputation as the tallest building in Paris.If you like this article about the architect of the Eiffel Tower, be sure to check out articles about Gettysburg facts and ancient Egypt for kids too!Name Of Architects Of Eiffel TowerIn the year 1884, the government declared plans for an exposition that was on a global level to honor the French Revolution and its 100th anniversary, and the plan to construct a 984.2 ft (300 m) high tower was formulated in 1889 at the World’s Fair.The plan was to create a solid, four-sided metal tower that would compete with other structures in the world for the record of the world’s tallest structure. The basic idea was to erect an iron tower in the Champ-de-Mars area of Paris, France. The structure was to be built on a square base and the dimensions were estimated at 410.1 ft (125 m) across and 984.2 ft (300 m) tall.The French civil engineer Gustave Eiffel is attributed as the designer of the tower as the Eiffel tower bears his name. Gustave Eiffel’s structure was worked on by two other less-known engineers, Maurice Koechlin and Emile Nouguier. Koechlin and Nouguier were the ones who came up with the original blueprint of the Eiffel Tower. In the autumn of 1884, Eiffel approved their design and bought the rights to it at the Decorative Arts Exhibition.Gustave Eiffel is popularly known as the one to whom credit is attributed for the monstrous Eiffel tower, but he is also known for other major structures like the Ponte Dona Maria railway bridge in Porto, Portugal, and the Budapest Nyugati Palyaudvar in Hungary.After being chosen by the French government for the construction of the Eiffel Tower, Gustave Eiffel presented a paper in 1885, stating that the Eiffel Tower would symbolize the art of the modern engineer and the great scientific progress that was dedicated to the advancements of the eighteenth century.In actuality, Emile Nouguier and Maurice Koechlin came up with the idea of a massive tower in June 1884, and this idea would be implemented in Eiffel’s design that consisted of four columns of girders that would have latticework on them, and they would be divided at the base and the top and would be joined throughout the frame at frequent intervals.Before construction began on the tower, Gustave Eiffel patented a new configuration that allowed metal supports and pylons that would allow the construction of a tower.In an effort to shine a good light on the tower, Nouguier and Koechlin brought in French architect Stephen Sauvestre to work on the presentation of the tower.The construction of the tower started in 1887 and included a team of 50 engineers, 121 construction workers, and 100 ironworkers. It took five months to erect the foundations and a further 21 months to finish the assembly of the metal pieces that would go into the tower. This construction time could be seen as a record speed, and the tower was created in a precise way. At the top of the tower, Gustave Eiffel was decorated with the Legion of Honour.The production cost of the Eiffel Tower is estimated at around 7.8 million French gold francs, and the tower is built with wrought iron that has had bronze paint over it. The tower stands at a massive 1062.9 ft (324 m) in height and weighs 11023.1 tons (10,000 m tons). The Eiffel Tower was the tallest man-made structure in the world, up until the creation of the Chrysler Building in New York City. In 1957, an aerial structure was added to the tower, and it added a further 17 ft (5.2 m) height, and it became, once again, the tallest tower in the world as it beat the Chrysler Building. The tower is divided into 3 levels. The first and second are restaurants, and the third is the observatory, which is located at 905.5 ft (276 m) above surface level.While building the tower, each and every part was calculated to extreme measurements so that there would be no issues in fixing the various parts to each other. The latticework structure had four massive legs that were arched and curved inward as they met a single, tapered tower. Each of the four legs rests on thick concrete plates, and these plates require a solid foundation that is 72.1 ft (22 m) deep. The decorative arches were suggested by Stephen Sauvestre before the construction of the tower began. Koechlin and Nouguier played their roles perfectly for which Gustave Eiffel’s French company hired them.In 1964, the ruling government of France designated the tower as a historical monument. Because of its popularity, the Eiffel Tower has seen a plethora of replicas, with only two full-sized replicas that are situated in Japan as the Tokyo Tower and in China as the Long Ta communications tower.The Architect Connection Between The Eiffel Tower And The Statue Of LibertyThe connection between the Eiffel Tower and the Statue of Liberty is worth mentioning as these two structures have a common name linked to them.Before the creation of the Eiffel Tower, Eiffel’s company was hired to work on the internal frame of the Statue of Liberty. This responsibility was given to Maurice Koechlin, who was Eiffel’s esteemed team member. So, in short, Maurice and Eiffel proved their creativity and commitment to a project prior to their assignment to the Eiffel Tower.Do the French hate the Eiffel Tower?Yes, the Parisians took offense at the creation of the Eiffel Tower, going so far as to call it a blemish on their city.Angry letters were sent to newspapers saying that the tower did not fit into the city and there were even a fraction of artists that renounced the plan of the tower from the beginning.Did the Eiffel tower fall down?The Eiffel Tower, also known as the Iron Lady of France, was created with the intention of only existing till its 20th year of existence, but, during World War II, the government of France and the military used the tower for radio communication, which later evolved into telecommunication. After the permit for the tower ended in 1909, it was decided by the general populous to keep the tower as it was.The elevator wires on the tower were cut during the Second World War in an attempt to stop the Nazis from using the tower. In 1944, Adolf Hitler ordered the government of France to destroy the tower and other historical sites, which the government decided against and refused to listen to such orders.Did You Know…The elevators in the tower did not work at first. 30,000 visitors were allowed to enter the tower, and they had to climb at least 1,700 steps to reach the top of the structure. The life service was started soon after this event.Because of the base design of the tower being created with wrought iron, the metal expands when it is exposed to the sun, especially during the summer, causing the tower to rise by 6.7 in (17 cm).To create a better aerial viewpoint, the tower has a darker shade of color at the top, and this shade gradually becomes lighter as you go towards the bottom. To preserve the integrity and color, the tower is repainted every seven ‘years with over 50-60 tons (45-54 m tons) of paint.The Eiffel Tower is not just a tourist hotspot! The tower has, over the years, featured a theater, a post office, a newspaper office, and many scientific laboratories. Once a year, the first level is turned into an ice rink too. The Eiffel Tower sees a massive number of tourists per year, and it has become one of the most paid-for monuments in the world.Between 1925 and 1934, Citroen, a French car manufacturing company, used the tower as an advertisement space for its cars. The ad featured 250,000 light bulbs and was listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest ever advertisement in the world.The names of the 72 mathematicians, scientists, and engineers involved in the creation of the tower have been engraved on its side.A group of individuals from various fields started a petition that opposed the creation of the tower as they deemed it to be useless and outrageous. This protest was led by Guy de Maupassant, an author of that period. Despite the appeal against the creation of the tower, the 1889 World Fair brought in a huge crowd, with over 2 million people visiting the tower and spending over 1 million on tickets.The highly skilled Victor Lustig, an Austrian-Hungarian con artist, sold the Eiffel Tower on two different occasions.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for know the architect of the Eiffel tower: facts on the tallest structure then why not take a look at acid rain facts you need to learn and be safe for life, or 31 facts everyone should know about Apollo 13 space mission.
The Eiffel Tower, also known as the ‘La Tour Eiffel’, is a world-renowned structure in France.
