It is known all over the world for its famous 300 meter high “Iron Lady”. But who knows its department stores, its synagogue, its church or even its high school? The City of Architecture and Heritage, located at the Palais de Chaillot, reveals a completely different facet of the career of the illustrious with its exhibition Le Paris de Gustave Eiffel. On the occasion of the centenary of the death of Gustave Eiffel (1832-1923), the sometimes ignored achievements of the builder in Paris are presented. Behind six of them, only the most initiated know the mark of genius.
“It’s a place in front of which many passers-by stop, without suspecting Eiffel’s touch”, reports Florence Allorent, the museum’s curator. Located at 21 bis rue des Tournelles in the 4th arrondissement, the synagogue was built in 1867 by the architect Marcellin-Emmanuel Varcollier (1829-1895), who was then a student of Victor Baltard. Under the Romano-Byzantine style building rests a unique metal frame. This is carried out by the forges and workshops of Normandy, which benefit from the assistance of Gustave Eiffel. The place of worship opened to the public in 1876.
Here again, few Parisians know the mark of the builder in this emblematic place in the 6th arrondissement. The construction of the current Romanesque church at 91 Boulevard du Montparnasse was entrusted in 1867 to the architect Paul-Léon Ginain (1825-1898) and the contractor Eugène Bonté. Building on the success of its construction for the Synagogue des Tournelles, the Eiffel is responsible for the metal structures of the attic of the building. The project is completed nine later.
Art, history of clothing, haute couture… The Palais-Musée Galliera has not always been a fashion sanctuary. The building, located at 10 avenue Pierre de Serbia, in the 16th arrondissement, was commissioned by Marie Brignole-Sale, Italian Duchess of Galliera (1811-1888), from the architect Paul-Léon Ginain. Heiress to a great fortune on the death of her husband, the noblewoman decides to erect the premises to receive her collection of works of art, which she wishes to bequeath to the city of Paris. The freestone dress of the palace, built from 1877 to 1894, actually hides a metal structure by Gustave Eiffel under its attic.
80 meters by thirty. At the Carnot high school, nearly 2,200 students cross the courtyard covered by a huge glass roof designed by Eiffel every day of the week. In 1875, the architect Hector Degeorge (1873-1941) built the new École Monge at the Lycée Carnot, located at 145 boulevard Malesherbes in the 17th arrondissement. The World School was founded in 1871 by a group of men of progress in an attempt to regenerate secondary education and introduce “the new spirit” into it. In 1876, Eiffel erected the metal frame and the glass roof that overlooks the establishment’s main hall.
From a must-see place for shopping to a war hospital. The Galeries du Louvre were built under Napoleon III at the same time as the rue de Rivoli. Part of the galleries – also located rue de Marengo – was bought in 1875 by Alfred Chauchard and Auguste Hériot. The duo opens the Grands Magasins du Louvre after two years of renovation. In 1879, the “iron magician” produced the small metal frames for the annexes to the commercial premises. In October 1914, at the start of the Great War, the place was transformed into a military hospital (Annex to Val-de-Grâce). Claire, the daughter of Gustave Eiffel, worked there for a while as a nurse. The Grands Magasins du Louvre were definitively closed in 1974 to be replaced by the Louvre des Antiquaires in 1978.
Honoré de Balzac, Alexandre Dumas and Iris Mittenaere spent legendary evenings there. The largest Parisian music-hall cabaret was inaugurated for the first time in 1802 under Napoleon Bonaparte. The theater was subsequently destroyed by fire in 1870 during the Franco-Prussian War. The charred ruins are abandoned for 17 years. In 1889, Eiffel set about rebuilding the theater at the same time as its Tower. The new room, established in the 5th arrondissement at 28 rue du Cardinal Lemoine, becomes the Paradis Latin when it reopens. By presenting reviews and ballets, it was full every night at the time.
In Paris, it is difficult to quantify the many achievements of Gustave Eiffel. “Some projects are attributed to him. But sometimes, it was the Eiffel workshops that erected them after his departure as builder in 1893”, underlines Florence Allorent. But the one who made a name for himself with the Bordeaux railway footbridge (1860) and who distinguished himself with the Eiffel Tower (1889) or the Statue of Liberty in New York (1881) sometimes worked in the shadows . The illustrious took part in more “modest” projects, but which nevertheless left a strong imprint in the modern capital.
“The general public knows little about Eiffel. We only link him to the tower, but we forget who he was as an entrepreneur, builder, business manager, negotiator and developer, ”says the curator. The Paris of Gustave Eiffel exhibition is located on the first floor of the Cité de l’architecture et du patrimoine. The upper floor offers a panoramic view of the Eiffel Tower, erected on the other side of the Seine. The space is divided into three significant parts. In the first is a map of Paris. The public discovers there the places of life of the entrepreneur of German origin as well as his famous and forgotten projects. Another corner presents the man and his often misunderstood personality. A few tools, his drawing table and his last desk from the rue Boileau wind tunnel are on display. The last space is devoted to the universal exhibitions in Paris, which were fundamental in the career of the genius.
Useful information :
The Paris of Gustave Eiffel at the City of Architecture and Heritage until January 9, 2024. 9 euros entry. 1 place du Trocadéro et du 11 Novembre, 75116 Paris. The Cité is open every day from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. (except Tuesdays). Nocturne on Thursday until 9 p.m.
