The Eiffel Tower Started as an Insult to Both Art and Architecture
Even intellectual elites can fail to recognize beauty
It was the end of the 19th century and Paris was well-known for cabaret dancing and big-butt dresses. France was going through a recession and needed something huge to boost its economy. It’s not like you celebrate the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution every day.
Hey, let’s organize an art & science fair! Let’s celebrate Liberté, égalité, fraternité with the newest inventions!
For the opening, two engineers wanted to create the tallest construction ever. It would be 300 meters high (980 ft), with four iron beams coming together into one. No one had done anything similar before. They showed the sketches to their boss Gustave Eiffel but he wasn’t impressed.
Still, the duo didn’t want to give up. They asked the head architect to accessorize the structure. He put a few decorative arches, a glass pavilion on the first floor, and Voilà! The design was finished.
The City of Paris was like: “OK, we’ll give you a construction site by the river Seine for the next 20 years.” After that, they would deconstruct it and use these pieces of iron for something more useful like a market or a bridge or whatever.
