Alexandre Gustave Eiffel (born Bönickhausen; /ˈaɪfəl/; French pronunciation: ​[efɛl]; 15 December 1832 – 27 December 1923) was a French civil engineer and architect. A graduate of the prestigious École Centrale des Arts et Manufactures of France, he made his name with various bridges for the French railway network, most famously the Garabit viaduct.