ABSTRACT
The construction of the Galerie des Machines and other structures of the exposition, particularly the Eiffel Tower, was a remarkable political and economic achievement for the French government. The designer of the Galerie des Machines, Ferdinand Dutert, was a graduate of the École des Beaux-Arts and winner of the Prix de Rome in 1869. After the plan was finalized, a large bureaucracy was established to carry out the fair. Construction of the buildings for the Paris world's fair was carried out from May of 1887 to May 1889. The principal material of the building's structure was to have been steel, but the decision was made at the last minute to use iron instead. The construction of the building was a very complex and costly process involving numerous contractors and subcontractors. The Galerie des Machines was a profound technical achievement. Although the three-hinged arch had been developed several years earlier, it had not been used to vault such a span.
