The Financial Architects

Building the tower required not just engineering genius but financial acumen. Eiffel invested much of his personal fortune—nearly 1.5 million francs—into the project. He assembled a team of financial advisors who structured the complex agreements with the government and the exposition committee.

Émile Péreire, from a prominent Sephardic Jewish banking family, helped arrange international financing. Despite facing antisemitic attacks in the press, Péreire's connections proved invaluable in securing materials and equipment from across Europe.

The financial structure was innovative: Eiffel would pay for construction but receive all revenue from the tower for 20 years, after which it would revert to the city of Paris. This arrangement required careful projections of visitor numbers and ticket prices—calculations that proved remarkably accurate.