priorhouse blog

Bon Jour!

March is one of my favorite months because it is packed with fun stuff…. like the basketball that my boys love, birthdays, change of seasons, and even the anniversary of our move to the east coast!

The month of March also closes with the birthday of the Eiffel Tower (March 31st – 1889) – and in the art room, we always found ways to celebrate this special work of iron, which inspired so many artists over the years.

Did you know the tower was almost not built because of low funds? Did you know they did not have enough money to wrap it?  And so even though Monsieur Gustave Eiffel cleverly had this structure paid off very quickly – it was viewed as an ugly eye sore for many years!  It was supposed to be deconstructed, but was used was an antenna – and well, the rest is history – the Eiffel Tower is now a symbol of light, love, and ART! 

So Happy Birthday Eiffel Tower 2014!

Also, check out Debbie’s Eiffel Tower UP SHOT photos, which were a part of Sonel’s photos challenge HERE.

And check out Emilio’s photo of the Las Vegas version of the Eiffel Tower – HERE

And for a taste of France, check out REDSTUFFDAN’s artistic blog here!

 

Hope you all enjoy the last day of March 2014.  Make it a great day.

 

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TOWER BASICS

Years 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 (who had it paid off within the first year and had sole control of the tower and its profits for twenty years.

Occasion for Construction:  1889 Universal Exhibition

Construction Period: 23 January 1887 to March 1889 (2years,2months,5days)

Tower inaugurated: March 31, 1889

Number of Steel Workers: 300

Number of Workers Killed during Construction: 1

Rivets: 2,500,000

Steel pieces: 18,038

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

Year lighting added contributing to Paris’ reputation as “City of Lights”: 1986

Lighting : 352 projectors of 1000 watts

Tallest Structure in the World: 1889-1930 (until Chrysler Building)

“The whole idea that iron — just iron — could be beautiful, flew in the face of architectural history. Everyone knew that the great cathedrals and palaces had all been built of stone with the careful craft of ornamentation which adorned them. Sure, iron can play a part in an unseen, underlying structure such had been done with the Statue of Liberty, but to leave it exposed was just poor taste. It was like showing your dirty laundry.  A Committee of Three Hundred was formed and they petitioned for its demise….”

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