By: Quinque Williams Mr. Harris 5th Period September 30th, 2011
1889 World Exhibition
The Eiffel Tower was built for the World Exhibition in 1889, held in celebration of the French Revolution in 1789. It took 2 years, 2 months and 5 days to complete the tower and it was inaugurated on 31 March, 1889 and was open to public from the 6th of May. Gustave designed a 984 foot open lattice, wrought iron tower that mesmerized people around the world for its aesthetic looks. The base of the tower is formed by four semi-circular arcs. These arcs were built due to Gustave 's artistic sense and by his engineering thoughtfulness. Eiffel Tower is made from pure iron, although it is a common notion that it is built of steel. Gustave used puddle iron, that is, a type of traditional wrought iron, to build a very strong tower. Gustave has designed the tower in such a way, that every worn out individual part, can be replaced easily. It is interesting to know, that the massive windstorm in 1999 damaged many Paris monuments, but no harm came to this wonder tower. .The construction was only meant to last for the duration of the Exposition, but it still stands today, despite all protests from contemporary artists who feared the construction would be the advent of structures without 'individuality ' and despite the many people who feared that this huge 'object ' would not fit into the architecture of Paris. Today, there is no such aversion anymore among the Parisians, and one could not imagine Paris without the Eiffel Tower, in fact it has become the symbol of the City of Light.
Gustave Eiffel
The man behind the Eiffel Tower was Gustave Eiffel, known from his revolutionary bridge building techniques, as employed in the great viaduct at Garabit in 1884. These techniques would form the basis for the construction of the Eiffel Tower. He was also known for the construction of the Statue of Liberty 's iron framework. The structure took more
Bibliography: http://www.aviewoncities.com/paris/eiffeltower.htm http://www.buzzle.com/articles/how-tall-is-the-eiffel-tower.html http://www.technologystudent.com/struct1/eiffel1.htm