Elevator Systems of the Eiffel Tower, 1889 is Robert M. Vogel’s technical study of the remarkable elevators built to carry visitors up the curving legs of the Eiffel Tower for the Paris Exposition of 1889. Published by the Smithsonian, it examines the engineering challenges posed by the tower’s unusual form and the hydraulic and mechanical solutions devised by competing manufacturers.
Vogel describes the design, operation, and history of these pioneering installations, which were among the most ambitious vertical transport systems of their day. The study combines the history of technology with close attention to engineering detail. For readers interested in the Eiffel Tower, the history of elevators, or the meeting of architecture and engineering, it offers an authoritative and absorbing account.