Tour Montparnasse: A History

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Tour Montparnasse: The Black Sheep of Paris

Paris is a beautiful city and much of that beauty is attributed to its determination to preserve its old style. You know the white buildings with the grey rooftops? And it has managed to abstain from a surplus of skyscrapers within the city. Well all but one: Tour Montparnasse. It seems that no matter where you are in the city, you can always see Tour Montparnasse, unless you're on Tour Montparnasse. So here's some history on what many consider Paris' eyesore.

Office Building

The Tour Montparnasse was completed in 1973. It is occupied by mostly offices. It is built on top of the Montparnasse metro station and is right next to the Montparnasse train station. There are a total of 59 floors and the last ones are open to the public as a viewing area for all of Paris. It is currently the 17th tallest building in all of the European Union, though it is not as tall as the Eiffel Tower.

View of the Eiffel Tower from Tour Montparnasse

Paris' Eyesore

And while this huge skyscraper can be seen by most Parisians, it is not admired by most. In fact, it has been voted the world's second most ugliest building. The style is considered too simple and not modern enough to compete with the rest. So unfortunately, it is deemed the eyesore of Paris.

Daredevil Sight

The Tour Montparnasse has been used as a location for Alain "Spiderman" Robert to climb up the building from the outside using only his hands and feet in 1995. For non daredevils like me, you can brave the quick elevators to the top floors giving you a panoramic view of Paris.