The Eiffel Tower welcomes millions of visitors to Paris each year and is a major landmark in the City of Light. This most recognizable landmark on the Champs de Mars in Paris has been photographed over and over and forms part of anyone’s Paris vacation photo rolls. Now, prior to the 2024 Olympics, the city is giving the tower a makeover that will make the city landmark brighter in appearance.
The Eiffel Tower Gets a Makeover
The Eiffel Tower was constructed between 1887 and 1889 as the stunning entrance to the 1889 World’s Fair, or Exposition Universelle as it is called in France. It is a wrought iron lattice tower, standing 1,063 ft (324 m) tall and has been painted an amazing 19 times. This major feat takes some 60 tons of paint to achieve.
Since 1968, the Eiffel Tower has been painted a specially-designed shade of brown. However, it is now being prepared to be painted in a yellow-brown hue, giving it a rather more golden color when the work is complete.
The new makeover, which is set to cost an estimated $60 million (€50 million), will be no quick and easy task.
Part of the process will involve stripping off previous layers of paint. Architects who deal specifically with historical monuments in Paris have thoroughly analyzed the paint covering the tower. Due to the presence of lead, this will be a hazardous process and will require a strict health protocol for the workers.
The Eiffel Tower and Its Color Changes
While recently, the Eiffel Tower has been painted in a yellow-brown color, it may be surprising to note that the landmark has previously sported much brighter hues. When the tower was first erected, it was painted red at the request of its designer, Gustave Eiffel. However, three years later, the tower was painted in an ochre (or light orange) color.
The year 1899 saw the Eiffel Tower turning a more sunny shade, after it was painted orange-yellow at the base, and light yellow at the top. The tower stayed in a yellow-brown color for 47 years, between 1907 and 1954. However, in 1968 it changed again and was painted a brown-red color.
2024 Summer Olympics in Paris
During the 2024 Summer Olympics, the newly revamped Eiffel Tower will serve as a backdrop for the open water and triathlon swimming events. However, since the structure opened in 1889, it is estimated that more than 250 million people have visited the tower. Each year, more than seven million people visit the Eiffel Tower, so besides the Olympics, this Paris landmark always needs to look its very best.
An interesting piece of news from AP has given an update on the Eiffel Tower. It turns out snow conditions in northern France have had an adverse effect, with ice collecting on the tower’s many surfaces.
Due to the freeze, workers had to use a blowtorch on the Eiffel Tower to melt the ice. The city sent a tweet, writing, “When negative temperatures return, my floors get partially covered with ice! To get rid of it, we need to use a blowtorch because ice-control salt is too corrosive for the metal.”
The monument has been closed to the public due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, open or not, the Eiffel Tower will always stand tall, welcoming visitors to Paris.
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