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There is a famous story about the French playwright Tristan Bernard. He ate lunch at the café located at the base of the Eiffel Tower every single day. He did not do this because he enjoyed the food. Rather, he believed that the Eiffel Tower was the only place in Paris from which he could not see the tower itself. This story highlights a feeling that many Parisians shared when the famous iron structure was first built in the late 1880s. At that time, the tower was not universally loved by the public. Today, however, the Eiffel Tower stands as one of the most iconic and beloved monuments in the entire world.
Not far behind the Eiffel Tower in terms of tourist attraction is a building with a very different reputation. In the heart of Paris, the Tour Montparnasse is the city's only true skyscraper. Since its completion in 1973, it has been widely disliked by critics and residents alike. Many argue that its dark, monolithic presence ruins the historic skyline of central Paris. Now, after decades of intense debate, a radical plan is underway to try to solve this long-standing problem. The goal is not to demolish the building, which would be incredibly difficult, but to make it appear almost invisible to the naked eye.
The Tour Montparnasse was conceived with a very different vision in mind when it was first proposed. In the late 1950s, Europe was still recovering from the devastation of World War II. Parts of Paris were run-down and in desperate need of renewal. City planners and government officials wanted to signal that France had fully entered the modern age. They envisioned a bold new Paris with contemporary architecture, showcasing progress, technology, and economic strength to the rest of the world.
A towering skyscraper was seen as the ultimate symbol of this modernity. Unlike the Eiffel Tower, which was built as a temporary exhibit for a world's fair, or the cathedrals of Notre-Dame and Sacré-Cœur, which hold deep religious significance, the Tour Montparnasse was designed for purely commercial purposes. It was to be a large office building with a shopping mall at its base. This project had the powerful backing of André Malraux, France's first Minister of Cultural Affairs. He and other leaders believed that a modern tower would show the world that Paris was a forward-thinking, twentieth-century city capable of innovation.
Despite this strong political support, the project faced immediate and significant challenges. In the 1950s and 1960s, Europe lacked the technical expertise, advanced construction technology, and enormous funding required to build a 59-story skyscraper. The tower was just one part of a massive redevelopment plan for the Montparnasse area, which also included new residential buildings and a completely rebuilt train station. Because of these difficulties, construction on the tower itself could not even begin until 1969.