Who Built the Eiffel Tower? The Team Behind the Icon

The Eiffel Tower was designed by Maurice Koechlin and Émile Nouguier (senior engineers at Compagnie des Établissements Eiffel), architecturally refined by Stephen Sauvestre, and built by Gustave Eiffel's company for the 1889 Exposition Universelle in Paris.

Key Figures

Construction Timeline

• Jan 1887: Foundations (compressed-air caissons at 4 piers).
• Jul 1887–Mar 1888: Four legs rise; synchronized by hydraulic jacks.
• Mar–Dec 1888: Legs join at first platform; second platform added.
• 1889: Third platform, cupola, elevators installed. Opens May 6.

By the Numbers

• Height: 300 m (984 ft) + 24 m antenna (now 330 m)
• Iron: 7,300 metric tons (puddled iron, not steel)
• Rivets: 2.5 million (hot-driven)
• Paint: 60 tons every 7 years (19 coats since 1889)
• Cost: 7.8M gold francs (≈€35M today); earned back in 1 year via ticket sales.

Myth Busting

Eiffel didn't "design" it alone—he bought the patent from his employees (Koechlin/Nouguier) and championed it. Sauvestre made it palatable to Parisians who called it "useless and monstrous."