Gustave Eiffel’s Credentials
Clip: Season 21 Episode 1 | 1m 34sVideo has Closed Captions
Gustave Eiffel had a lengthy résumé before he built his namesake tower.
Gustave Eiffel already had several large projects to his name by the time the 1889 World’s Fair was announced. He had engineered Budapest’s railway station and Porto’s Maria Pia Bridge, and was in the midst of completing both the Garabit viaduct in France’s Massif Central and the Statue of Liberty. For Eiffel, building a thousand-foot tower would be a crowning achievement.
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SECRETS OF THE DEAD is made possible, in part, by public television viewers.
Gustave Eiffel’s Credentials
Clip: Season 21 Episode 1 | 1m 34sVideo has Closed Captions
Gustave Eiffel already had several large projects to his name by the time the 1889 World’s Fair was announced. He had engineered Budapest’s railway station and Porto’s Maria Pia Bridge, and was in the midst of completing both the Garabit viaduct in France’s Massif Central and the Statue of Liberty. For Eiffel, building a thousand-foot tower would be a crowning achievement.
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipFrom Budapest's railway station to Porto's majestic Maria Pia Bridge, Eiffel had already produced several major works.
And while less well known at the time than Jules Bourdais, he was considered a pioneer.
-Gustave Eiffel was probably one of the best at this time, since he implemented a strategy of assembling metal components.
He incorporated a certain number of parameters, such as fire resistance, but also wind resistance, which meant that he was soon able to build high structures.
-But Eiffel already had his hands full...
He was busy completing the Garabit viaduct in the heart of the Massif Central.
The railway span, with a height of 400 feet and a central arch 540 feet across, is still in use today.
At the same time, the engineer was also finishing the framework for the Statue of Liberty.
Lady Liberty, a gift from France to the United States, was a relatively small job for Eiffel.
But its construction in the heart of the capital was a brilliant advertisement for his company.
For Gustave Eiffel, building a thousand-foot tower would be a crowning achievement.
Preview | Eiffel's Race to the Top
Video has Closed Captions
Discover the untold story of Paris’ most famous landmark and the race to top 1,000 feet. (32s)
Video has Closed Captions
Eiffel’s use of iron to build his tower represented a radical architectural shift. (1m 26s)
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SECRETS OF THE DEAD is made possible, in part, by public television viewers.