The Eiffel Tower

This version of the Eiffel Tower is located at the corner of MLK and Lamar Boulevard.

From the information stand located in front of the tower:

The 100 year anniversary of the Eiffel Tower celebrated in 1989 inspired Monsieur Valtat to build this 21 foot replica. The tower is 1/50 the size of it's matriarch in Paris. This marvelous work was purchased and brought to the United States in 1998 be George Dreyfus.

The original Eiffel Tower was selected from among 107 projects to highlight the Universal Exposition of 1889 and to celebrate the French Revolution centennial. On March 21, 1889 designer Gustave Eiffel inaugurated the 963 foot tower by climbing all 1710 steps to raise the French flag. It took two years, two months and five days to complete the 7,300 ton structure, which required 18,038 pieces of iron and 2,500,000 rivets to complete. The tower was initially going to be removed after the Exposition. Many prominent artists of the day opposed the tower all together calling it "...a dizzily ridiculous tower dominating Paris..." Gustave Eiffel appealed to the city, pleading that the tower was not only a structure of grace and beauty, bit it could also be of use to the scientific community as well. In time, a meteorological station, radio communication station, and even a television transmission antenna, (all of which are still in use today) were added to the second floor near the suite of rooms used by Eiffel. In fact, September of 1889, Gustave Eiffel had dinner on the tower's first floor with Thomas Edison himself. Mr. Edison, in a show gratitude, presented Mr. Eiffel with one of his phonographs as a gift. The city then agreed that Gustave Eiffel could maintain the tower, and it would remain standing. Shortly afterward, Paris chose to adopt and care for the Eiffel Tower which soon became and international symbol of France.

Since 1889, the Eiffel Tower has inspired millions of people from all walks of life. It is an inseparable part of the Parisian setting and one of the monuments most visited in the world.

-George Dreyfus

From Arguendo & Dixi's Daily Austin Photo

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