San Jose's Electric Light Tower and its connection to the Eiffel Tower

Built in 1881, the San Jose Electric Light Tower was one of the 50 tallest man-made structures on earth upon completion. It stood nearly as tall as the Signia Hotel in Downtown San Jose, but was built over 120 years ago. Not only was it extremely innovative for its time (illuminating a half-mile radius), but there several connections between this project and the Eiffel Tower in Paris. This is all the more reason to build a new landmark that pays homage to San Jose's Electric Light Tower.

You can now rent Tom Wohlmut's exceptional documentary linking the San Jose Electric Light Tower to the Eiffel Tower over here. The 56 minute film takes you through a journey of how San Jose's innovative light tower was built, how it brought San Jose international recognition, and how it was tragically destroyed. 

There were also several short interviews recorded about the relationship between the two towers that not many people had the chance to see. You can find those videos embedded below. 

Mario Fontana ETH-Zurich from TAW on Vimeo.

Bernard Meurtin Interview from TAW on Vimeo.

Corentin Interview Ver 1.0 from TAW on Vimeo.