Design Inspiration: The Official Eiffel Tower Blueprints

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always wanted to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. I’ve never been to Paris, and if I ever get the opportunity to go, visiting the Eiffel Tower will be at the top of my list.

The Eiffel Tower used to be considered such a classy, sophisticated monument. However, several years ago, that prestigious image started to change. I’m not sure if it was when Tom Cruise proposed to Katie Holmes up there or what, but now there is a cheese factor associated with it. It doesn’t matter to me though, it will remain my dream to go there until someday I get to see it in person.

It’s always fun for me to read interesting facts about the Eiffel Tower. Here are just a few that I find fascinating:

The Eiffel Tower was built in 1887 by architect Alexandre Gustave Eiffel and his team.
It took two years to complete the construction. It was made using 9,441 tons of wrought iron.
About 60 tons of paint are required to paint it, and it’s painted once every 7 years (with brushes).
On a clear day, you can see 42 miles from the top. On windy days, it sways up to 15cms at the top.
It is 324 meters tall, and consists of 1,710 steps from the bottom to the top.
Over 200 million people have visited the Eiffel Tower.

From a geek’s perspective, what’s the next best thing to visiting the Eiffel Tower? Checking out the building’s blue prints of course! For me, these are amazing to look at. You can see larger more detailed images on the source page at How To Be A Retronaut. I love these!