The Eiffel Tower Is Now 20 Feet Taller

Regarding the structure’s new soaring height, the Eiffel Tower company’s president, Jean-François Martins, told the Associated Press, “From the invention of the radio at the beginning of the 20th century to right now, decades after decades, the Eiffel Tower has been a partner for all the radio technology.” He’s not wrong; it is as much an architectural landmark as it is a technological one. Martins added, “It’s a historical moment, because the Eiffel Tower is getting higher, which is not so common.” It may not be common, but the Eiffel Tower has undergone a few transformations before. For instance, in September 2017, the Eiffel Tower underwent quite a drastic renovation to modernize everything from visitor reception area to one of the restaurants, La Bulle Parisienne.

The designers of the original tower, back in the late 19th century, wanted to build the world’s tallest structure, and for nearly four decades, it was. Of course, New York City’s Chrysler Building, which shot up in 1929, surpassed Paris’s tower. Luckily, though, it was still tall enough to attract millions of visitors per year. In fact, more than seven million people come from all over the world to pay the iconic architectural masterpiece a visit, strolling around the perimeter of the 125-meter-wide base.

This is the tallest the Eiffel Tower has ever been, but whether or not it will continue to grow as technology advances is up for debate. After all, we do live in the Digital Age, which begs the question: Will one of the first technological landmarks literally grow with the times? Only the next generation of innovators will tell.