When Was the Eiffel Tower Constructed? A Look at Its History and the Road Ahead

The iconic Eiffel Tower is in need of some serious care.

In preparation for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, a renovation project worth $60 million (50 million euros) was set in motion, as reported by France 24. However, there are concerns about whether these efforts will be sufficient.

A 2022 article in Marianne, citing confidential reports, argued that the Eiffel Tower is in poor condition, with its scheduled maintenance falling short. While it reportedly requires "full repair," The Guardian notes that it is being given only a cosmetic update for the upcoming Olympics.

So, when was the Eiffel Tower constructed, and how frequently does it require maintenance? Discover the history behind the tower’s construction and what makes this monumental structure stand out.

When Was the Eiffel Tower Constructed?

Construction of the Eiffel Tower began in 1887, taking just two years, two months, and five days to complete. Originally known as the "300-meter Tower," it was unveiled on May 15, 1889, at the Exposition Universelle, the Paris World's Fair.

The 1889 World’s Fair celebrated the centenary of the French Revolution, making the Eiffel Tower 100 years younger than the French Revolution.

Despite opposition from prominent figures in the arts and literature, such as Charles Garnier and Guy de Maupassant, the Eiffel Tower proved to be a triumph, attracting over 2 million visitors in its first year. Today, it draws around 7 million annually, making "la dame de fer" (the “iron lady”) the most-visited paid monument in the world.

The iron structure at the edge of the Champ de Mars was the tallest man-made structure in the world until the Chrysler Building was completed in 1929. When it was built, the Eiffel Tower surpassed the Washington Monument as the tallest building.

Building the Eiffel Tower

Though it appears delicate in photographs, the Eiffel Tower is truly monumental up close. It stands 984 feet (300 meters) tall — a little higher when considering features like flagpoles and antennae — with a base width of 410 feet (125 meters). The tower’s metal frame weighs a staggering 7,300 tons (6,622 metric tons).

According to Benjamin Schafer, a professor of civil and systems engineering at Johns Hopkins University, the structure of the iron tower has a certain magical quality to it.

"It's basically the ideal design for withstanding wind pressure," he explains.

Initially, the tower was intended to last just 20 years. However, it became crucial for radio and telecommunications, and of course, tourists worldwide desired to visit. "Since the 1980s, the monument has been continuously renovated, restored, and adjusted to accommodate the growing number of visitors," according to the Eiffel Tower website.

After its first in-situ paint application in 1889, the tower has experienced several color transformations.

Initially, the tower was coated in Venetian red, but over time, it has been repainted with various shades including reddish-brown, ochre brown, yellow-brown, and brownish-red. In 1899, it featured a golden gradient, shifting from yellow-orange at the bottom to light yellow at the top.

Since 1968, the tower has been adorned with a distinct 'Eiffel Tower brown' in three tones, with the deepest shade at the base. While this color scheme may seem unremarkable, it was chosen "for its harmony with the Parisian cityscape," according to the website. However, it will be given a golden hue for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

Maintaining a Metal Structure

As stated on the official Eiffel Tower website, the monument undergoes a full repainting every seven years, a schedule recommended by Gustave Eiffel himself, which is believed to ensure its longevity. This maintenance process includes stripping, cleaning, rust-proofing, and repainting the tower.

The Eiffel Tower, designed by two engineers from Gustave Eiffel's company, Émile Nouguier and Maurice Koechlin, alongside architect Stephen Sauvestre, emerged as the winning design in an open competition for the World's Fair to be hosted in Paris.

In 2014, Roumen V. Mladjov wrote in Structure magazine that the tower "is the materialized symbol of progress during the Industrial Revolution of the 19th century."

Though groundbreaking in the 19th century, the tower was made of iron, rather than steel, which would later become the primary material used in the construction of modern skyscrapers.

"It was built out of the only material that could have built that form at that time," explains Schafer. "Corrosion and fatigue are the two main challenges we face in maintenance." Fortunately, corrosion, a chemical reaction that requires both oxygen and moisture, is a gradual process, and like steel, iron can be safeguarded from it through a protective barrier, which in this case, is paint.

Gustave Eiffel was well-versed in creating durable metal structures—having spent nearly thirty years constructing iron bridges before embarking on the tower project. The design of the tower shares many characteristics with an arched iron bridge. For instance, if you observe the Ponte Maria Pia spanning the River Douro in Porto, Portugal, you will notice several similarities. Eiffel was also the architect behind this bridge, which was completed between 1876 and 1877.

Now consider the maintenance of a bridge like the Golden Gate Bridge. Its steel structure is consistently painted, but not all at once. The painting is carried out "based on priorities," determined by the areas where corrosion is advancing.

Eiffel Tower Upkeep

The renovation efforts for the Eiffel Tower in preparation for the Olympics initially called for stripping a third of the tower and applying two fresh coats of paint. However, due to delays caused by COVID-19 and "the presence of worrying levels of lead in the old paint," as stated by The Guardian, only 5 percent of the planned work will be carried out.

Additionally, the Société d'Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel (SETE), the body responsible for the tower’s management under a public service contract with the City of Paris, is reluctant to forgo the income that a temporary closure for renovation would result in, as noted by The Guardian.

As reported by The Guardian, between 2010 and 2016, various reports highlighted issues and concerns related to the maintenance and overall condition of the Eiffel Tower. A 2014 report from the paint company Expiris revealed that the tower showed signs of cracks and rust, with only 10 percent of the newer paint properly adhering to the structure.

According to the tower website, painting projects on the Eiffel Tower can take anywhere from 18 months to three years. These projects involve around 50 painters and require 60 tons (54 metric tons) of paint. SETE is responsible for balancing the needs of tourists with the ongoing maintenance of the site. In 2019, SETE's survey found that 96 percent of visitors would recommend the Eiffel Tower to friends or family.

"Maintaining the tower is a never-ending task," says Schafer. "The Eiffel Tower is an iconic landmark, and its upkeep is important because we all cherish it."