In fact, some were outright hostile towards it. But perhaps the Eiffel Tower's greatest rejection came from the people who held the most authority on what worked aesthetically for the city and what didn't: Parisian artists and writers.
People Also Ask
8. People in Paris actually hated it at first. When the Eiffel Tower was built, many eminent intellectuals of the day (including famous French author Guy de Maupassant) protested vehemently against it, calling it 'a gigantic black smokestack' that would ruin the beauty of Paris.
They said it looked like a hideous factory chimney, it was going to be 1,000 feet tall, way taller than anything else in Paris, and it would be there for 20 years. People also feared it might collapse because railroad bridges had collapsed.
But though Eiffel's tower planned to set records, it wasn't without controversy. The building was radically industrial, and that chafed against the sensibilities of more refined Parisians.
Protests from artists during early constructionAnd after winning the competition, his project was subject to multiple attacks. Firstly, from architects, who were outraged to see an engineer chosen for such a project. Then, the Parisian artistic scene got up in arms when construction began.
However, the lights on the Eiffel Tower were installed in 1985, by Pierre Bideau, meaning that any photo or video that shows the monument at a time when the lights are visible (ie, at night) is a violation of copyright law.
The Eiffel Tower is not considered one of the new Seven Wonders of the World. It was a finalist in the contest held by the New 7 Wonders Foundation, however, it was not selected.
Originally intended as a temporary exhibit, the Eiffel Tower was almost torn down and scrapped in 1909. City officials opted to save it after recognizing its value as a radiotelegraph station.
The Eiffel Tower was supposed to be destroyed only 20 years after its construction. To remedy the situation, Gustave Eiffel had the ingenious idea of crediting it with a scientific purpose – the Tower was saved!
To understand the value of the Eiffel Tower, we can start with its beginning. It cost $1.5 million (USD) to build the tower in 1889. Adjusting for inflation using the Consumer Price Index (CPI), this comes to $44 million.