Eiffel Tower in popular culture a symbol of the real or threatened destruction of the city, or the world. In others, the tower is used as an embodiment of Paris, the symbol of the city, to set the scene for a film or other work centered on the city. In yet others, as a symbol of the city in a more peripheral way. Other uses, to establish the tower simply as a well known visual element. Eiffel Tower in popular culture The Eiffel Tower has appeared frequently in works of fiction because of its iconic nature. Movie critic Roger Ebert has noted in his online
Philadelphia City Hall 1871 to 1901 at a cost of $24 million. City Hall's tower was completed by 1894, although the interior wasn't finished until 1901. Designed to be the world's tallest building, it was surpassed during construction by the Washington Monument and the Eiffel Tower. Upon completion of its tower in 1894, it became the world's tallest habitable building. It was also the first secular building to have this distinction, as all previous world's tallest buildings were religious structures, including European cathedrals and—for the previous 3,800 years—the Great Pyramid of Giza. With almost 700 rooms, City Hall is the largest municipal building