The Eiffel Tower
700 proposals were submitted for a grand structure that was to be a centerpeice for the 1889 Paris Exhibition. After studying all of the proposals, the decision of the judges was unanimous. A giant structure of exposed iron latticework that soared high into the sky was the only possible choice. Alexandre Gustave Eiffel had come up with something so radical, it could not be turned down. Environmentalists complained that it would interfere with the flight of birds over Paris. A group of writers and artists protested that it was in such bad taste, it would endanger the future of Paris as a center for the arts. It went up anyway. Then in 1909, it survived its' scheduled demise because it had become the support structure for important international radio broadcasting towers. At 1052 feet and 7000 tons, it remains one of the best known and most visited structures in Paris.