Why do we find the idea of a multi-colored Parthenon so shocking today? Why was the Eiffel Tower such a target for hatred when it was first built? Is the Sagrada Família a work of genius or kitsch? Why has Le Corbusier, one of the greatest of all architects, been treated as a villain? This book examines the critical legacy of both well known and either forgotten or underappreciated highpoints in the history of world architecture. Through 70 engaging, thought-provoking, and often amusing debates, Jonathan Glancey invites readers to take a fresh look at the reputations of the masterpieces and great architects in history. You may never look at architecture in the same way again!

Learn about the Eiffel Tower, beloved and iconic symbol of Paris, France, and one of the most recognizable structures in the world! When the plans for the Eiffel Tower were first announced, many people hated the design of the future landmark, calling it ungainly and out of step with the beautiful stone buildings of the city. But once it went up for the World's Fair in 1889, the people of Paris quickly fell in love with the tower. Today it seems impossible to imagine Paris without the Eiffel Tower, which greets millions of visitors each year who climb up its wrought-iron stairs, ride its glass elevators, and enjoy the wonderful views of the city spread out below it. This book, part of the New York Times best-selling series, is enhanced by eighty illustrations.

The story of the world-famous monument and the extraordinary world’s fair that introduced it, by the author of Conquering Gotham and Urban Forests In this first general history of the Eiffel Tower in English, Jill Jonnes-acclaimed author of Conquering Gotham-offers an eye- opening look not only at the construction of one of the modern world's most iconic structures, but also the epochal event that surrounded its arrival as a wonder of the world. In this marvelously entertaining portrait of Belle Époque France, fear and loathing over Eiffel's brash design share the spotlight with the celebrities that made the 1889 Exposition Universelle an event to remember-including Buffalo Bill and his sharpshooter Annie Oakley, Thomas Edison, and artists Whistler, Gauguin, and van Gogh. Eiffel's Tower is a richly textured portrait of an era at the dawn of modernity, reveling in the limitless promise of the future.

"Discusses the creation of the Eiffel Tower and the man behind it, including the idea, the obstacles, and the eventual success"--

*Includes pictures*Includes accounts of the construction written by Gustave Eiffel and others*Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading*Includes a table of contents"Being the most striking manifestation of the art of metal structures by which our engineers have shown in Europe, it is one of the most striking of our modern national genius." - Gustave EiffelIt's the home of kings, emperors, and aristocrats, and the home of the Champs-�lys�es, the Bastille, the Louvre and the salons that fueled the Enlightenment. For foreigners like Benjamin Franklin, it was the most beautiful city in the world, and millions of people still visit those same sites every year. Known as the "City of Light," Paris seamlessly blends its rich past with all the trappings of a modern city, and the city's features and qualities are taken for granted today, but Paris was not always that way. In fact, it took nearly half a century of redesigning the city during the 19th century to transform it into the city it is today. Paris's expansion also required new monuments, administrative buildings, and other public buildings. The urban renewal of Paris coincided with the Neoclassicism movement in art and architecture that had taken hold across Europe, which incorporated the classical architecture of the Ancient Greeks and Romans. All over Paris, builders constructed marble colored buildings with arches, pillars, domes, and neoclassical art that used the themes of antiquity.Fittingly, the construction of the Eiffel Tower for the 1889 World's Fair was a capstone of sorts to the reconstruction of Paris, and it remains one of the world's most famous and visited landmarks. Designed as an entrance to the fair, the Eiffel Tower, soaring over 1,050 feet into the air, was an architectural wonder that served as the world's tallest man-made object for over 40 years. As its designer, Gustave Eiffel, put it, "It seems to me that [if] it had no other rationale than to show that we are not simply the country of entertainers, but also that of engineers and builders called from across the world to build bridges, viaducts, stations and major monuments of modern industry, the Eiffel Tower deserves to be treated with consideration."Though it may be hard to believe today, the Eiffel Tower was initially met with derision by many Frenchmen, some of whom compared it to the Tower of Babel and complained that the "useless and monstrous" structure would obscure treasures such as Notre Dame. In response to such criticisms, Eiffel himself pointed out, "Can one think that because we are engineers, beauty does not preoccupy us or that we do not try to build beautiful, as well as solid and long lasting structures? Aren't the genuine functions of strength always in keeping with unwritten conditions of harmony? ... Besides, there is an attraction, a special charm in the colossal to which ordinary theories of art do not apply."It's safe to say that Eiffel was correct. Each year, millions of people refute those original notions by riding to the top and making it the most visited paid monument in the entire world. Indeed, the Eiffel Tower has welcomed over 250 million visitors in less than 130 years. Eiffel had the good fortune of being vindicated in his lifetime, and as he once joked, "I ought to be jealous of the tower. She is more famous than I am." The Eiffel Tower: The History of Paris' Most Famous Landmark traces the history of the landmark from its construction to the present day. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about the Eiffel Tower like never before, in no time at all.

Presenting the story of Gustave Eiffel, this book examines the conception, and controversial construction of the tower that bears his name, one of the most famous tall buildings in the world. Just at the point of his greatest success, he signed contracts for the project which was to bring scandal on his name - the Panama Canal.

The official book of the 130th anniversary of the Eiffel Tower, one of the most famous monuments in the world At 1,063 feet (324 meters) high, the Tower is a symbol--of Paris and of France, and of modernity. Since its creation in 1889, the Eiffel Tower has been hailed as a feat of architectural and engineering prowess, one that still reflects the best of what France has to offer the world. Known in France as the "Dame de Fer," or "Iron Lady," the Tower is the embodiment of a Parisian woman: seductive and always superbly dressed to impress the 6 million visitors she receives each year. This beautiful two-sided book celebrates the dual identity of the Tower: It opens from one side to offer a behind-the-scenes look at the technical aspects of the monument, and from the other side to show off the star herself, the Tower as an icon of France, an inspiration to artists and designers, a symbol of peace and freedom, and so much more.