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(Photograph by Karen Kingsley)
At the core of this peculiar steel-frame structure is the restaurant that was located until 1980 on the first level of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, 562 feet above the ground. Because the structure’s weight was causing the tower to sag, it was dismantled and sold to New Orleans investors. The 11,000 pieces were shipped to New Orleans and reassembled as a new restaurant. The polygonal metal and glass space is enshrined within an 88-foot-high superstructure that the architects hoped would recapture the feeling of the Parisian venue, yet not imitate it. In fact, it does neither. Raised 12 feet above the ground, with parking underneath, the building is entered by way of a 105-foot-long ramp. Despite its name, the restaurant was not a success and was subsequently reincarnated as a nightclub and event venue. Rust stains give the structure a precarious air, perhaps suitable for its primarily nocturnal use.