The Eiffel Tower was constructed in 1889 and when it was first completed, it was the tallest building in the entire world. The tower itself is 300m (986 feet) tall, approximately the height of a 75 storied building. The Eiffel Tower remained the tallest building in the world until the construction of the Chrysler Building, New York, in 1930.
Second Tallest in France
At approximately 300m tall, the Eiffel Tower is the tallest structure in Paris and the second tallest structure in all of France. The structure that claims the title of tallest structure in the whole of France is the 350m (approximately 1148 feet) Allouis transmitter that was built in 1939.
As Paris’ tallest structure, it has required several modifications. The Eiffel Tower was originally built with 1,710 steps leading to the viewing platform near the top of the Eiffel tower, but it now only has 1665 steps after several renovations. Nowadays, it isn’t possible to reach the top of this tall structure using stairs. Once you reach the second platform, elevators must be used to reach the top observation deck.
Original Height
In the 1950s, the Eiffel Tower was modified to include a radio antenna that actually increased the height of the tower to 324m (1063 feet) tall. The antennae added several meters/feet in height to the structure of the Eiffel Tower.
Comparisons
The Eiffel tower was the first structure ever built to exceed 300m in height, although there are several more modern structures that have surpassed the Eiffel Tower in height. The Eiffel Tower held the record for highest observation deck until 1931, when the Empire State Building was finished.
Since then, the World Trade Center, CN Tower and the Shanghai World Financial Center have all had observation decks that surpass the Eiffel Tower.