ere sent in, only three were picked. Of the three the only one standing today is the Eiffel Tower. Conceived by Gustave Alexandre Eiffel, who was an accomplished bridge engineer, the towers' designs were sent in to the Centennial Committee. The reply came not more than a month later, they were to build the tower. Work on the actual tower began more than five months after the designs were accepted. Progress was very fast, and by August of 1887 the first section had been completed. Throughout the building of the tower complaints flowed in about its aesthetic value. Making use of new techniques, the rest of the tower was finished with a minimum of time and money. The four semicircular arches that made the tower's base were dictated by Gustaves artistic sense. The curve of the trusses required the elevators to ascend on a curve. The elevators made by a U. S manufacturer became one of the principal features of the tower. The Eiffel Tower was the first of its kind. Preceding towers had tried to copy Greek architecture instead of being original. The Eiffel tower began a revolution in civil engineering and architectural design. Another building built in the 1800s was the White House, the building so well known to people was built in its original form between 1792 and 1800. Additions to the original building include the low-lying terraces or pavilions, which were constructed (1807) during the administrations of Thomas Jefferson and reconstructed on those designs in 1902. The West Terrace (50 by 11 m/165 by 35 ft) connects with the three-story Executive Wing (1902) containing the president's office; the East Terrace (66 by 11 m/215 by 35 ft) joins the three-story East Wing (1942)....
