The Eiffel Tower is a 1,083-foot-tall iron tower located at the Champ de Mars in Paris, France. It was built by the Compagnie des Établissements Eiffel (owned by the engineer Gustave Eiffel) from 1887 to 1889 to serve as the centerpiece for the 1889 World's Fair, and, while it was initially criticized by some French artists and intellectuals for its design, it became a cultural icon of Paris and France as a whole. It was designated a historical monument in 1964 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991.