The Eiffel Tower was completed in 1889, specifically on March 31 of that year, when Gustave Eiffel climbed all 1,710 steps of his own creation to raise a French flag at the summit, officially marking the structure's completion in front of government officials and members of the press.
The Full Timeline
Milestone | Date |
|---|---|
Idea first conceived by engineers Nouguier and Koechlin | 1884 |
Design refined with architect Stephen Sauvestre | 1884-1887 |
Construction began | January 28, 1887 |
Structure completed and inaugurated | March 31, 1889 |
Officially opened to the public | May 15, 1889 |
Total construction time | 2 years, 2 months, and 5 days |
Why It Was Built
Constructed as the centerpiece of the 1889 Exposition Universelle, a World's Fair held in Paris to mark the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution
Organizers ran a design competition specifically for a monument to serve as the fair's showpiece
Roughly 700 proposals were submitted for consideration
Gustave Eiffel's design, developed with his engineers Maurice Koechlin and Émile Nouguier, was selected unanimously
How Fast the Construction Actually Moved
For a structure of its scale, the build time was genuinely remarkable.
Several hundred workers assembled the tower's iron framework
More than 18,000 individually cut pieces were used, held together by an estimated 2.5 million rivets
Components were prefabricated at Eiffel's factory in Levallois-Perret before being transported and assembled on-site piece by piece
This method let the project move considerably faster than traditional construction techniques of the era would have allowed
The foundation work alone, laid along the banks of the Seine, took roughly five months
Opening Day to the Public
The tower officially opened to the public on May 15, 1889, the same day the Exposition Universelle itself opened
Because the elevators weren't yet operational, the first visitors climbed the full 1,710-step staircase to reach the top
Nearly 30,000 people climbed the tower by stairs alone in its very first week
Elevators became operational shortly after, from May 26, 1889 onward
Over the course of the six-month fair, close to 2 million visitors ascended the tower, averaging close to 12,000 people a day
Setting a Height Record
Standing at 300 meters (984 feet) at completion, the Eiffel Tower became the tallest human-made structure in the world, surpassing the Washington Monument
It held that title for about 40 years, until New York's Chrysler Building overtook it in 1930
A radio antenna added in 1957 later pushed its height to 330 meters, decades after the original 1889 completion
Not Everyone Was a Fan at First
The tower faced considerable criticism from prominent French artists and intellectuals during and immediately after construction
Many viewed it as an industrial eyesore clashing with the aesthetic of Paris
Eiffel himself defended the design publicly, arguing that engineering and beauty weren't mutually exclusive
A Structure Meant to Be Temporary
The tower was never meant to become a permanent Paris landmark
Its original permit called for it to stand for only about 20 years before being dismantled
Its usefulness for radio transmission, combined with its rapid rise in popularity among visitors, ultimately saved it from demolition
That reprieve secured its place as an enduring symbol of the city
Sources:
Official Eiffel Tower website, "15 essential things to know about the Eiffel Tower": https://www.toureiffel.paris/en/news/history-and-culture/15-essential-things-know-about-eiffel-tower
Official Eiffel Tower website, "The Eiffel Tower's Inauguration and First Visitors" (via Google Arts & Culture): https://artsandculture.google.com/story/the-eiffel-tower-s-inauguration-and-first-visitors-tour-eiffel/dgWBQDgw3RwA8A
American Society of Civil Engineers, "Eiffel Tower": https://www.asce.org/about-civil-engineering/history-and-heritage/historic-landmarks/eiffel-tower