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The Eiffel Tower: An Architectural Controversy
Adams, Laurie. Art Across Time: The Fourteenth Century to the Present. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Companies Inc., 2002.
The accepted and admired Eiffel Tower was not always a revered structure, but in fact, in the late 19th century it was an extremely controversial subject. Designed by Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel, the Eiffel Tower was constructed for the Universal Exposition of 1889 to honor the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. Parisians welcomed the idea behind the edifice, but once they saw the design, many rejected the wrought iron structure. Because the materials used were wrought iron and concrete, many Parisians dismissed the Eiffel Tower as ugly, grotesque, and a poor representation of their culture. Soon the disgruntled population started a petition for the destruction of the building. In order to please the angry petitioners, the arches at the base of the tower were added to bring a more ornate element to the structure. In spite of this compensation, the Eiffel Tower was still considered a symbol of modernity.
After the exposition, plans were made for the dismantling of the Eiffel Tower, but in 1909 the tower was saved by technology. The 984 foot structure was increased to 1,052 feet in height with the addition of a television mast. The Eiffel Tower’s use as a radio antenna saved the building and allowed it to be the highest man-made structure in the world until the Empire State Building in 1932. Overall, Eiffel’s radical architectural design proved to be not only a symbol of modern times but also an aid in the world of technology.
The Eiffel Tower: An Architectural Controversy
Adams, Laurie. Art Across Time: The Fourteenth Century to the Present. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Companies Inc., 2002.
The accepted and admired Eiffel Tower was not always a revered structure, but in fact, in the late 19th century it was an extremely controversial subject. Designed by Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel, the Eiffel Tower was constructed for the Universal Exposition of 1889 to honor the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. Parisians welcomed the idea behind the edifice, but once they saw the design, many rejected the wrought iron structure. Because the materials used were wrought iron and concrete, many Parisians dismissed the Eiffel Tower as ugly, grotesque, and a poor representation of their culture. Soon the disgruntled population started a petition for the destruction of the building. In order to please the angry petitioners, the arches at the base of the tower were added to bring a more ornate element to the structure. In spite of this compensation, the Eiffel Tower was still considered a symbol of modernity.
After the exposition, plans were made for the dismantling of the Eiffel Tower, but in 1909 the tower was saved by technology. The 984 foot structure was increased to 1,052 feet in height with the addition of a television mast. The Eiffel Tower’s use as a radio antenna saved the building and allowed it to be the highest man-made structure in the world until the Empire State Building in 1932. Overall, Eiffel’s radical architectural design proved to be not only a symbol of modern times but also an aid in the world of technology.