Artcurial auction house in Paris is selling a segment of the Eiffel Tower's original spiral staircase on May 21, 2024 [1].
The sale offers collectors a rare opportunity to own a physical piece of one of the world's most recognized landmarks. Because the original staircase was replaced long ago, these fragments serve as significant architectural artifacts from the tower's early history.
The piece being auctioned is part of a larger set of 24 fragments [1]. These sections were created when the original spiral staircase was removed from the tower in 1983 [1].
There are slight variations in reported measurements for the segment. Some records list the piece as 8.5 feet long [1], while other reports describe it as nine feet tall [2, 3]. The diameter of the segment is 5.7 feet [3].
Artcurial is offering the piece as part of its historic-object auction series [1, 2]. The auction house specializes in rare items that hold cultural or historical significance, making the staircase segment a centerpiece for the event.
The Eiffel Tower has undergone numerous modifications since its completion in 1889. The removal of the original stairs in 1983 marked a transition in the monument's accessibility and structural maintenance. This specific segment represents the engineering of the late 19th century, and the subsequent preservation efforts of the 20th century.
“The original staircase was removed from the tower in 1983.”
The auction of this architectural fragment highlights the growing market for 'industrial heritage' collectibles. By breaking the original staircase into 24 pieces, the provenance of the tower's evolution is distributed among private collectors, shifting the artifact from a public monument's history to a private investment asset.
