Eiffel Tower Repainting

[David]

A new story entry has been added:

Eiffel Tower Repainting

Once the world's tallest building, its construction marked the centennial of the French (http://LaFrance.com) Revolution. The most revenue-generating attraction in France, last year the Eiffel Tower drew seven million visitors. The Eiffel Tower is an amazing work of art, but it needs to be repainted about every seven year. Since its construction in 1889, it has been repainted eighteen times, requiring many tons of paint. Both color and its shade have been slightly changed. One of these repaintings, always done by hand, began this March of 2009. The job will require 66 tons of patented Eiffel Tower Brown, 31 miles of climbing cord, and 18 months of labor by 25 workers who must paint with miniscule brushes in comparison to the size of the monument in order to continue the tradition beginning in 1889. Other structures use paint rollers, but the uniqueness of the Eiffel Tower deserves unique treatment.

[kevinastanley]

I have so many wonderful memories of France.

You make me think of a time I hosted a large dinner at the J/ Le Jules Verne restaurant. It was magnificent. However, I have a small fear of heights. It didn't even occur to me until I was in a group going up the elevators. They were all glass and you could see straight down. I felt as though I was becoming ill. I could not say anything, because I was the host. I came off the elevator very weak at the knees, but recovered quickly. It was so great after that, and the food was excellent.

You can visit the site at lejulesverne-paris.com/ to see pictures.

Thank you for the article and the memory,

Kevin

[Gisela BONNAUD]

Paris celebrated the 120th birthday of its “Iron Lady” yesterday, treating the Eiffel Tower to a facelift a century after it was supposed to have been dismantled.

A team of 25 steeplejack painters from the poorer fringes of Europe clambered to the top and started brushing on 60 tonnes of semi-gloss, the 17th coat it has received since its opening on March 31, 1889.

The men, working for a Greek shipyard company, will take about 18 months to finish the job, using brushes but never spray-guns to apply the grey-brown hue that is patented as “brun Tour Eiffel”. When Gustave Eiffel completed his 300m (990ft) edifice in 1889 it bore only red rust-proofing. It was not expected to need much more because it was due to be demolished in 1909, 20 years after it dominated the great exhibition marking the centenary of the French Revolution.

In the early 1900s Eiffel persuaded the Paris council not to take down his contraption as scheduled. The city made it permanent because it was proving useful for wireless transmission and aerial navigation. In the 1920s it became an icon for avant-garde artists such as Raoul Dufy and Marc Chagall. For a while in the 1930s the tower sported a huge advertisement for Citroën cars.

Lighting, not paint, is now used to change its colour for special events. It was blue and gold last year to mark France’s turn in the rotating presidency of the European Union.