The Eiffel Tower was supposed to be temporary

The Eiffel Tower was originally built in 1889 as a temporary structure to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution.
It was also built as the entrance arch to the 1889 World’s Fair and was meant to demonstrate the superiority of French technology and engineering. 

The design was first proposed by Maruice Koechlin and Emile Nougouier, yet Gustave Eiffel made some minor changes that made it turn out into what we see today. Originally the structure was to be built for the fair, admired for twenty years, and then deconstructed.

However, because it was the tallest building in the world at 320 meters, it attracted immense amounts of attention. The tower would go on to become the most prominent symbol of Paris and France and the most visited paid monument in the world, so it’s a good thing they didn’t take it down!