One Man’s Opinion: Room with a View

In Gustave Eiffel and his club began construction of what was then intended to be a temporary monument to be completed in time for the World s Fair in Paris and commemorate the Centennial Anniversary of the French Revolution And during early construction the critics of Paris labeled the hulking mass of pre-fabricated steel as an ugly smokestack The artist and architecture communities of that day in Paris were particularly brutal Previously no structure constructed had ever exceeded meters much less Most of thought the task to be impossible but Eiffel s plans were for a structure meters high the tallest structure on earth until the completion of the Chrysler Building in New York in A petition to criticize and challenge Eiffel was signed by several hundred prominent engineers and artists published and sent to the Commissioner and Minister of Works leading the coming World s Fair in We writers painters sculptors and passionate devotees of the hitherto untouched beauty of Paris protest with all our strength with all our indignation in the name of the slighted French taste against the erection of this useless and monstrous Eiffel Tower And it went on but Eiffel was on a tight timeline and construction timetable he and his club invented a large number of of the pre-fabrication techniques that bridge contractors and the construction industry use even at present Eiffel proudly compared his project to the Great Pyramids of Egypt and the beauty and prominence which they bring to the Middle East which might similarly grace Paris as a modern miracle of engineering The critics held that the iron albatross would dwarf and diminish the Arc de Triomphe the grandeur of the Cathedral of Notre Dame and even the majesty of the Louvre One of the loudest voices and haters of that day author Guy de Mauspassant reportedly ate almost daily in a cafe within the tower open while under construction as it was almost the only spot in Paris from which the tower could not be seen interrupting the vista and views of Paris and the Seine Yes the City of Lights may have birthed the NIMBY movement as well as proven that even among the brightest of minds there are a inadequate close-minded and dim bulbs But Eiffel had a vision and a contract and after two years two months and five days his creation was completed on March In response to his critics Eiffel built a small private apartment atop the third level of the tower with certain of the the majority beautiful views and sightlines in the world Eiffel was not afraid of showing off his creation and reportedly entertained Thomas Edison as well as rival Nikola Tesla during his visits and time within the small suite accessible only by lift During Edison s visit he gifted Eiffel one of the first working phonographs The square foot space is surrounded by an open-air balcony on all four sides There is even working plumbing and a commode Eiffel also used the space for experiments There were rumors then and now that the tower has specific sort of purpose for transmission of resource and secret broadcasts of a few variety It would not take long for Eiffel s creation to become celebrated and eventually the symbol of modern Paris The challenge and obstacles along the way apparently made the tower as well as Eiffel s own reputation stronger Originally Eiffel s permit for construction was to end at years Iron is not steel and requires ongoing maintenance against the weather Ownership reverted to the City of Paris in and though plans were made to dismantle the structure the modern innovation of radio made the tower an invaluable transmitter of radio waves across the city as it continues to be a part of the International Time Facility During World War I the wireless station in the tower intercepted enemy transmissions from Berlin As our nation s high school college and post-graduate students cross stages and platforms and shift their tassels to enter the real world a large number of also have dreams and visions of purpose for what lies ahead There will be obstacles along the way the road to Adulting does not come with a handy series of YouTube videos Be true to and trust yourself surround your path with positive and supportive people and send me a postcard when you begin construction on your tower I will make a point and try to be there for the dedication ConGRADulations and Sante Read more from Bill Crane on Rough Draft The post One Man s Opinion Room with a View appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta