Historical Photos of Famous Monuments Under Construction

See Notre Dame Cathedral, the Statue of Liberty, and several other famous landmarks from a new perspective with these historic photos.

Eiffel Tower

Construction work on the Eiffel Tower began in January 1887 and ended on March 31, 1889. Completing the construction of this giant in just over two years was considered a record in many ways.

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La statue de Luang Pu Thuat

Statues of Luang Pu Thuat (a revered Buddhist monk) can be found throughout Thailand, but none are as imposing as the one at Huay Mongkol Temple.

Located in the south of the country, this statue attracts locals and tourists. As this is a place of worship for Buddhists, visitors are asked to adopt a more “dressy” dress code.

Mont Rushmore

The original plans for Mount Rushmore called for the sculptures of the four US presidents (George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln) to be aligned differently and to feature their full bodies.

The budget and the constraints related to the existing rock wall, however, forced the designer and the sculptors to revise their plans.

Planning a trip to the United States? Plan a substantial budget for these cities where hotels are the most expensive.

Sydney Harbor Bridge

Constructed in 1923, the Sydney Harbor Bridge started out in contention as the company overseeing construction demolished around 469 buildings on both sides to lay out the surrounding foundations and infrastructure.

The San Francisco Bridge

Construction of the Golden Gate Bridge took five years and ended in 1937, revealing one of the West Coast’s most iconic landmarks. But did you know that one of the original proposals was to build an underwater tunnel to run cars under boats? The famous bridge in San Francisco, one of the most famous constructions in America, almost never existed!

Notre Dame – Paris

Historical Photos of Famous Monuments Under Construction

Notre Dame de Paris is an emblematic place in the heart of Paris. Originally built between 1163 and 1345, this building has been restored and rebuilt several times – and it will have to be done again after the fire that ravaged it in April 2019.

This image shows the restoration of the cathedral in the mid-1940s after it withstood four days of relentless attacks by German forces. It then served as a center of the French Resistance against the Nazis.

Statue of Liberty

This statue had already existed for quite a while when we installed it on Liberty Island. It had been exhibited in spare parts at the Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1878 and did not arrive in the United States until 1885.

Further construction work has been carried out on the statue numerous times since then, but this image shows the scaffolding that was erected during the 1984 restoration phase, which took two years.

As famous as it is, the Statue of Liberty is not the top New York attraction – that honor goes to another nearby island. 

The Gateway Arch

The Gateway Arch is the pride of the city of St. Louis, Missouri. Shown here as it is about to be completed in 1965, this monument will gain another nearly two meters (six feet) in height when the final pieces of the arch are installed in the days following this photo, which will raise its height to 192 meters (630 feet).

Big Ben

Big Ben, the iconic clock at the north end of the Palace of Westminster, was completed in 1859. This 1855 shot shows the construction of the new bridge, as well as the shell of what would become St Stephen’s Tower (renamed subsequently “Big Ben”), under construction.

Mohamed SAKHRI
Mohamed SAKHRI

I am Mohamed SAKHRI, the creator and editor-in-chief of this blog, 'Discover the World – The Blog for Curious Travelers.' Join me as we embark on a journey around the world, uncovering beautiful places, diverse cultures, and captivating stories. Additionally, we will delve into mysterious and, at times, even bizarre destinations.

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