Rare photographs of the world's most famous landmarks when they were still under construction.
The Eiffel Tower
Paris, France. 1888.Wikimedia CommonsThe Empire State Building
New York, New York. 1930.Wikimedia CommonsThe Empire State Building
New York, New York. 1930.Wikimedia CommonsMount Rushmore
Sculptor Gutzon Borglum's model of Mount Rushmore.Location unspecified. Circa 1936.
Library of CongressMount Rushmore
Keystone, South Dakota. 1932.Wikimedia CommonsThe Statue of Liberty
The statue's unboxed head not long after its arrival in America.New York, New York. 1885.
Wikimedia CommonsThe Statue of Liberty
Paris, France. 1883.Wikimedia CommonsThe Statue of Liberty
Paris, France. 1883.Wikimedia CommonsThe Berlin Wall
Berlin, Germany. 1961.Wikimedia CommonsThe Berlin Wall
Tanks stand guard while the wall is completed.Berlin, Germany. 1961.
Wikimedia CommonsTimes Square
One Times Square, the former headquarters of The New York Times.New York, New York. 1903.
Wikimedia CommonsDisneyland
Walt Disney watches the construction of The Sleeping Beauty Castle.Anaheim, California. 1955.
Tom Simpson/FlickrNeuschwanstein
Neuschwanstein, the German castle that inspired the homes of Disney princesses.Hohenschwangau, Germany. 1886.
Wikimedia CommonsNeuschwanstein
Hohenschwangau, Germany. 1886.Wikimedia CommonsThe Brooklyn Bridge
New York, New York. Circa 1872-1883.Wikimedia CommonsChrist the Redeemer
Rio de Janiero, Brazil. Circa 1930-1931.RV1864/FlickrHoover Dam
Boulder City, Nevada. 1932.Wikimedia CommonsHoover Dam
Boulder City, Nevada. 1932.Wikimedia CommonsThe Louvre Pyramid
The wireframe that will become the Louvre Pyramid.Paris, France. 1985.
Wikimedia CommonsThe U.S. Capitol Building
Washington, D.C. 1857.The U.S. National ArchivesThe Lincoln Memorial
Washington, D.C. 1920.Wikimedia CommonsThe Sydney Opera House
Sydney, Australia. 1966.Wikimedia CommonsThe Sydney Opera House
Sydney, Australia. 1968.Wikimedia CommonsTower Bridge
London, England. 1892.Wikimedia CommonsTower Bridge
London, England. 1892.Wikimedia CommonsThe Golden Gate Bridge
San Francisco, California. 1933.Wikimedia CommonsThe World Trade Center
New York, New York. 1971.Wikimedia CommonsThe Burj Khalifa
Dubai, United Arab Emirates. 2008.Wikimedia CommonsSydney Harbour Bridge
Sydney, Australia. 1932.Wikimedia CommonsSydney Harbour Bridge
Sydney, Australia. 1932.Wikimedia CommonsThe Freedom Tower
New York, New York. 2011.Wikimedia Commons
Famous Landmarks Like You’ve Never Seen Them Before — Unfinished View GalleryThere are some landmarks that it’s hard to imagine the world without. These are buildings and monuments so iconic that, today, it's easier to think of them as an eternal part of our world rather than anything that was made by mere human beings.
There was a time, though, when these famous landmarks were nothing more than an idea in their creators' minds, nothing more than plans and scaffolds created by people who had no way of knowing whether their work would last forever or whether it would be forgotten tomorrow.
After the plans were set, then came construction, which called for strength, creativity, and incredibly hard work. Teams of workers climbed up scaffolding and girders hundreds, if not thousands, of feet into the air, putting together what would soon become the Empire State Building or Mount Rushmore.
Aside from their construction alone, some of these famous landmarks went through incredible journeys. The Statue of Liberty was built in Paris, where its head was put on exhibition as a work of art on its own before making the long journey across the ocean to America. Other landmarks saw horrible tragedies, like the Hoover Dam, the perilous construction of which took the lives of more than 100 workers.
Here, in tribute to the architects and laborers who created the famous landmarks that would be permanently etched onto the face of the world, are some incredible photographs of these landmarks under construction. These photos provide a glimpse of these landmarks as they once were, before completion; when human mind and muscle were put to the task of creating something that would far outlive the people who made it.
Next, check out some fascinating Eiffel Tower facts and see the famous landmark under construction. Then, have a look at the abandoned communist monuments of the USSR.
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