When the Eiffel Tower opened in 1889, designer Gustave Eiffel built himself a small apartment near the top. Located on the third level of the tower, the private apartment wasn’t large, but it was cozy. In contrast to the steely industrial girders of the rest of the tower, the apartment was furnished in simple style. The walls were covered in warm wallpaper and the furniture included soft chintz, wooden cabinets, and even a grand piano. Eiffel created a comfortable atmosphere, perched nearly 1,000 feet in the air. Adjacent to the small apartment were some laboratory areas equipped with experimental gear of the day. Once word got out about Eiffel’s cozy little nest in the sky, Parisian high society turned green with envy. Eiffel is said to have received a number of sky-high — pun intended — offers to rent out the space, even if only for one night. He declined them all, preferring to use the space for quiet reflection and to entertain prestigious guests such as Thomas Edison, who gifted Eiffel one of his newfangled phonograph machines. Today, after being off limits for years, the apartment can be viewed through a window by visitors who buy a ticket to the top. Many of the furnishings remain the same and there are a couple of rather sickly-looking mannequins of Eiffel and Edison.
