When did the tilt of the tower of Pisa become seen as a feature instead of a defect?

Question

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is well-known for its tilt, and while it's a beautiful structure, it's unlikely it would've received such world fame without the poor foundations that caused it to sink and tilt. However, it seems unlikely that the tower's tilt was as appreciated by the original builders and commissioners as it is by the modern folk, because they'd have no way to foresee its eventual fame as a landmark.

When did the characteristic lean become seen as an appealing feature of the tower, instead of just being a botched result of bad workmanship or architecture? Or has the tilt been always accepted as an "emergent feature"?

Answer 1

Actually, it began tilting immediately after they started building it. Some years after, construction stopped for about a century because the Republic of Pisa was busy fighting a bunch of wars with its neighbors. When construction resumed, the new architect took the tilt into account and compensated for it by making the walls on each new floor taller on one side. Here's what Wikipedia has to say about it:

In 1272, construction resumed under Giovanni di Simone, architect of the Camposanto. In an effort to compensate for the tilt, the engineers built upper floors with one side taller than the other. Because of this, the tower is actually curved. Construction was halted again in 1284 when the Pisans were defeated by the Genoans in the Battle of Meloria.

Another interesting thing about the tower is that it combines to architectural periods: Romanesque and Gothic.