A spring evening in Paris

Explore #149 on 3rd May 2009

Eiffel Tower

Built: 1887-1889 for 1889 Universal Exhibition and Centennial of the French Revolution.

Engineers : Maurice Koechlin and Emile Nouguier

Architect : Stephen Sauvestre

Contractor : Gustave Eiffel

Tower inaugurated: March 31, 1889

Number of Workers Killed during Construction: 1

Steps to Top: 1665 (Official Eiffel Tower Website)

Steps walkable by visitors 704 (Ground to 2nd floor)

Rivets: 2,500,000

Steel pieces: 18,038

Height: 300.51 meters (986 feet) (+/- 15 cm depending on temperature)

Height including television antenna: 320.755 meters (1052 feet)

Weight: 7,000 tons (1,000 tons removed during 1990's renovation)

Base: 412 feet square, although also noted as about 2.5 acres

Foundation Pressure: 58.26 to 64 psi (9000 psf)

Paint: 50 tons every 7 years

Paint Color: Dark Brown

Lighting : 352 projectors of 1000 watts

First TV transmission: 1957

First Radio Transmission: 1918


Maximum sway in wind: 12 cm

Visibility on a clear day: 67 kilometers (42 miles)