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Elements of the structure were assembled at Eiffel's factory in Levallois-Perret at the fringes of Paris.  Each of the some 18,000 components were both riveted and bolted together, in the factory, to make five meter long pieces that were then transported to the construction site.  There, the bolts were removed by Eiffel's experienced crews [most of whom were veterans of his bridge building activities], being replaced by thermal rivets.  Only about a third of the 2.5 million rivets were inserted at the site during the 22 months of tower erection.  During construction, there were between 150 and 300 workers at the location.  The rapid erection of the tower is a testament to Eiffel's adroitness in managing large engineering projects.  He met his deadlines with clockwork precision.

Accident Prevention

The risk of accident was great for, unlike modern skyscrapers, the tower was an open frame without any intermediate floors -- just the three platforms. And because the tower was erected in just a little more than a year, one would think that the risks would have been elevated. Yet, because Eiffel took good care of his workers using movable scaffolding, safety netting, guard-rails and screens, only one man died [during the period that the Otis Elevators were being installed] -- which was remarkable at the time. This accident resulted from the man showing off, on the first level, for his girl friend below.

Construction Completion

The tower was completed on March 31, 1889; before the unfurling of the French flag and a 21 canon salute, Eiffel climbed the steps leading to the third level. Here, he lead a group of the famous around the narrow platform before receiving the Legion d'Honour there at the top. It had cost him a total of 7,800,000 gold francs.

Tower Opening

The Prince of Wales [later King Edward VII of England] officiated at the ceremonial opening celebrating the science and engineering achievements of its age. The tower soared 300m [984 feet] or 320.75m [1,052 feet] including antenna. Its structure consisted of two visibly distinct parts: a base composed of a platform resting on four separate supports [called pylons or bents] and, above this, a slender tower created as the bents taper upward, rising above a second platform to merge in a unified column weighing 7000 tons.

     Tower Life Extended

Original Permit for 20 Years

Originally, Eiffel had a permit to leave the tower standing for 20 years. This was a period calculated to allow him to more than recuperate his expenses. In 1909, at the expiration of original 20-year lease, the tower was almost torn down. Its salvation lay in the fact that its antenna was used for telegraphy. Since the tower was valuable for communication purposes, it was allowed to remain beyond the end of the permit.

Radio Transmissions Influenced Permit Extension

Since the beginning of the 20th century the Eiffel Tower has been used for transmission purposes.  Beginning in 1910 it became part of the International Time Service. Commencing in 1918, French radio maintained an aerial on the tower and began regular transmissions from the tower in 1922.  Since 1957 the Eiffel Tower has also been used for FM and TV transmission.
 

Until the 1950s, there was a triangular shaped antenna, consisting of several wires which ran from the top to anchor points on the Champs-de-Mars. This antenna, which was used for long wave transmission, was fed by transmitters located in small shelters on the Champs-de-Mars.