Talk:São Thomé Lighthouse

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Not designed by Gustave Eiffel

Latest comment: 1 year ago1 comment1 person in discussion

I have sent an e-mail to the Association des Descendants de Gustave Eiffel to ask for clarifications regarding the claim that the Lighthouse of Sao Tome was designed by Gustave Eiffel and their reply was as follows:

Dear Mr. Barcelos,

Please find below the answer of one of the specialist belonging to our Scientific Commitee:

"The Sao Tome lighthouse in Brazil, is a remarkable example of the iron skeleton tower of the 19th century. It was produced in 1877 by the French company Barbier & Fenestre, which designed a cone-shaped skeletal tower with a keeper's quarters and a 1st order optical lens, as shown also in the production plate and listed in the companie’s production list “San Thomè (Bresil): Un appareil holophotal à éclats de’ en’ suivis d’éclipses totales, avec tour en fer de 45 mètres de hauteur focale et logements pour les gardiens.“ Despite some misconceptions, there is no connection between the design of the Sao Tome lighthouse and the legacy of Gustav Eiffel. Eiffel is often associated with iron construction and is famous for his design of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, but the design of the Sao Tome lighthouse was not created by him. Instead, it was based on the openwork lighthouse design of Swedish engineer Nils Gustaf von Heidenstam, who used pull rods and tension bars to create this innovative model for a stable iron frame structure. The first of its kind was the Pater Notster lighthouse, built on Haneskär Island in Sweden. Eiffel, in fact, criticized Heidenstam's design in his patent for "Perfectionnements dans la construction des tours en fer, et spécialement des tours de phares," favoring his own invention for an openwork iron frame structure. Regardless to this, the Sao Tome lighthouse remains a magnificent landmark of structural engineering and industrial heritage, as third oldest still-existing lighthouse in the world, after Tahkuna in Estonia (1873) and Iquique in Chile (1876), built by Barbier's company. The Sao Tome lighthouse is a magnificent landmark of structural engineering and industrial heritage, showcasing the beauty and innovation of the iron skeleton tower design popularized in the 19th century. However, it is important to recognize the origins of its design and the contributions of other engineers such as Heidenstam, who played a significant role in the development of this technology. Indrek Laos Estonian Academy of Arts Cultural Heritage and Conservation"

I`m not sure how to provide this as research for this article. Alphonsekun (talk) 19:39, 9 August 2023 (UTC)Reply

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