Why was the Eiffel Tower kept? Radio!

Did you know? The Eiffel Tower was supposed to be dismantled after 20 years. Fortunately, things didn’t happen that way, and we have radio to thank for it! By Bertrand Lemoine.

In 1910, the Eiffel Tower could have been demolished! After being built and inaugurated for the 1889 Paris Exposition Universelle, the Tower had to be returned to the City of Paris, as Gustave Eiffel had only been given a 20-year permit to use the land. But its use as a giant radio antenna saved it from destruction!

The Tower’s continuity wasn’t a sure thing when it was built. A major attraction at the 1889 Universal Exhibition, it would revert to full ownership by the City of Paris on 1st January 1910. But following its heyday in 1889, the Tower’s lagging popularity at the 1900 World’s Fair and a certain weariness at seeing it constantly lord over the skies of Paris didn’t guarantee that it would be preserved beyond that date. After all, in 1906 the City decided to destroy the Gallery of Machines from 1889, the largest building in the world, because it hadn’t found a use for it.

Read more – Tour Eiffel: https://www.toureiffel.paris/en/news/130-years/why-was-eiffel-tower-kept