The Eiffel Tower was constructed to commemorate the centennial of the French Revolution and also to stand as a symbol for the Univeral Exhibition which was held in Paris in 1889.

Gustave Eiffel was winner of the contest (out of 700+ contestants) launched by the City of Paris. Of  course, his extensive experience and well-established reputation acted strongly in his favor.

The construction of the Eiffel Tower took over two years to complete. Many Parisians thought that the tower would never be finished in time for the Universal Exhibition, but they were wrong.

At the time, the Eiffel Tower was highly controversial. Artists and politicians such as Maupassant, Alexandre Dumas or Charles Gounod spoke out against the construction of the Tower. There was even a group, who called themselves the “Ardent lovers of beauty” who wrote a petition saying “We come, writers, painters, sculptors, architects, … to protest with all our force and all our indignation, in the name of degraded French taste; …against the erection … of the useless and monstrous Eiffel Tower. Because the Eiffel Tower, which even commercial America (!) would not want, is doubtless a dishonor to Paris!”

Nevertheless, once the construction was complete, the Eiffel Tower quickly won the hearts of Parisians. It inspired painters such as Delaunay, Dufy, Chagall, Utrillo, Léger and Rousseau. Indeed, it has become the very symbol of Paris!
 

Eiffel Tower Statistics

The Eiffel Tower is over 1000 feet high, with the four sides at the base measuring over 410 feet each. In order to protect it from rust and erosion, the Tower must be repainted every seven years. For this, a minimum of twenty thousand metric tons of paint is needed. Three shades of brown are applied, with the darkest on the base, and with the lightest shade at the summit so as to bring out an illusion of light and airiness.