As the French government was planning the Centennial Expositon of 1889, a fair to celebrate the French Revolution, a known bridge engineer, Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, was asked to design and build a structure that would suit the occasion. His finished tower got both praise and criticism and a lot of amazement. After the Centennial Exposition, of 1889 ended, Eiffel knew that he had to find new profitable ways to save his tower. He directed changes to prepare for a meteorological station in 1890, a military telegraph station in 1903, and a laboratory for studying aerodynamics in 1909. Even further changes were made for the expostitions of 1900, 1925, and 1937. An extra height of 66 feet (20 meters) was add on to the to the tower of television transmissions. The public firm had managed the Eiffel Tower for many years, until 1981 when the government of the city of Paris took over its management. The tower went through a reconstruction and renovation in 1981 to 1983 in preparation of its 100th anniversary in 1989. The renovation cost around 40 milliion dollars. The paint was stripped off down to the girders, removed the extra unnecessary weight of structures on the upper levels, and built new and lighter in weight facilities for visitors.

Description of the Eiffel Tower

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Nothing like it had ever been built like the Eiffel Tower. It is a 984-foot (300-meter) tower of wrought iron and open-lattice. The Eiffel Tower was the tallest structure in the world until the Chrusler Building was finished in New York City in 1930. Otis Elevator Company had designed glass-walled elevators, which climbed the legs of the tower to get to the first and second platforms. From the second floor to the third platform, which is near the top, four balanced elevators go up and down in the area. If you looked on a clear day, from the top platform, the view stretches for 50 miles (80 kilometers). On the first level are three-glass-confined structures, there are two level. Tey both contain one restaurant: Le Parisien on the lower level and La Belle France on the upper level. The thrd part is teh Salle (hall) Gustave Eiffel, where there is space for business, conferences, expositions, cultural events, and social meetings. There is a a souvenir shop and a snack bar located on the smaller second floor. Even from this level, it is very possible that an excellent view of Paris can be seen without having to go to the top.

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