Alexandre Gustave Eiffel ( December 15 , 1832 â `` December 27 , 1923 ; , Ë aÉ fÉ l ) was a French structural engineer and architect . Alexandre Gustave Eiffel ( December 15 , 1832 â `` December 27 , 1923 ; , Ë aÉ fÉ l ) was a French structural engineer from the Ã cole Centrale Paris , an architect , an entrepreneur and a specialist of metallic structures .