GUSTAVE EIFFEL (1832-1923) Born in Paris in 1832, Gustave Eiffel studied at the Ecole Centrale de Paris. He then began a long and brilliant career as a civil engineer and distinguished himself in the design and construction of civil engineering structures and monuments. In 1858, he collaborated with engineer Charles Nepveu, in particular for the construction of the railroad bridge across the river Garonne at Bordeaux, commissioned by the Compagnie des chemins de fer du Midi. In 1867, having founded his own company, Gustave Eiffel supervised the construction of numerous metal structures such as the railway station at Budapest (1874), the reception hall of the 1879 Exhibition and the viaduct of Gabarit in 1880. Between 1880 and 1884, he supervised the construction of the metal structure for Auguste Bartholdi's Statue of Liberty. Thanks to his complete mastery of iron technology, he imagined an 87-ft pylon to which the copper plates of the statue were to be fixed. For the 1889 universal Exhibition, he conceived the tower that bears his name, which still dominates the city of Paris with its 960ft structure. previouspages 1 - 2 - 3   Gustave Eiffel (1832-1923) © Société Nouvelle d'exploitation de la Tour Eiffel