Eiffel tower staircase to go under hammer in Paris

A piece of Parisian history will go under the hammer next week with the sale of a 15-step section of the Eiffel Tower's original spiral staircase. The iron steps, which once connected the tower's second and third levels, will be auctioned on Monday as part of a sale of Art Deco furniture by auction house Artcurial in the French capital. Expected to fetch between $27,00 and $40,000, they stand around three and a half metres high (12 feet) and weigh 750 kilogrammes (1,650 pounds). The original steps were removed in 1983 to comply with new health and safety regulations. They were dismantled and cut up into 24 sections of between six feet and 30 feet, Artcurial said in a statement. One was preserved at the Eiffel Tower while three went to Paris museums. The other 20 were auctioned off. Construction of the 1,063-foot Eiffel Tower, designed by engineer and architect Gustave Eiffel, began in 1887 and lasted just over two years. It was inaugurated in March 1899.