Cheers to Eiffel and Humanity
The Eiffel Tower peaks its long neck out many miles away from the river street we walk on, giving a cue of its scale but is only upon approach does its size become realized.
Massive would be the first word I thought of, but its’ trussed frame is not massive. The frame assures it is not full of mass. The air gaps between truss chords make it far more interesting than an enclosed, habitable skyscraper found in most cities. Tall is certainly appropriate, but soaring might be better. I suppose internally I knew that it was tall, but like the Sagrada De Familia, photos don’t do it justice. It’s alllll scale.
Somehow it doesn’t aesthetically affect the Parisian architecture it’s surrounded by, unlike the Pompidou Center (which is far uglier in person). It feels right for Paris and the area. A spectacle fitting to sit so near Gothic works like Notre Dame.
But This, this is what humans should build. This is what we are capable of. Superstructures approaching the heavens, built of simple construction, and beautiful in its assembly. This magnificent tower of steel trusses and rivets is, so awe inspiring I couldn’t look away. It seems that it ought to be classified as some kind of “wonder of the world”. Again, Photos make it tall, life makes it heavenly.
Maybe because its construction is rivets and trusses, it’s fabrication plain that the contemporary age feels it does not deserve it, for it has no gargoyles or pilasters, but humans built this tower 125 years ago. Until I see Dubais tall towers, this thing is #1 in my book.
Looking online just one of its four bases is 10,000 square feet. Its base arch is 135’ tall. To walk around its fenced off base took 20 minutes. We didn’t get to experience climbing into and up it, but I was happy enough to treat it as spectacle not interactive amusement.
Overall, Paris is lovely and lively. The amount of built history within several miles is amazing to encounter along the river. The French, despite what social media wants to say, were rather nice and accommodating to us. But the Eiffel Tower is something else. It feels like a moment when humans, the French, said yeah, humans can still make beautiful icons that lasts for centuries.