The Statue of Liberty National
Monument officially celebrated her 100th birthday on October 28, 1986. The
people of France gave the Statue to the people of the United States over one
hundred years ago in recognition of the friendship established during the
American Revolution. Over the years, the Statue of Liberty has grown to include
freedom and democracy as well as this international friendship.
Sculptor Frederic Auguste
Bartholdi was commissioned to design a sculpture with the year 1876 in mind for
completion, to commemorate the centennial of the American Declaration of
Independence. The Statue was a joint effort between America and France and it
was agreed upon that the American people were to build the pedestal, and the
French people were responsible for the Statue and its assembly here in the
United States. However, lack of funds was a problem on both sides of the
Atlantic Ocean. In France, public fees, various forms of entertainment, and a
lottery were among the methods used to raise funds. In the United States,
benefit theatrical events, art exhibitions, auctions and prize fights assisted
in providing needed funds.
Meanwhile in France, Bartholdi
required the assistance of an engineer to address structural issues associated
with designing such as colossal copper sculpture. Alexandre Gustave Eiffel
(designer of the Eiffel Tower) was commissioned to design the massive iron
pylon and secondary skeletal framework which allows the Statue's copper skin to
move independently yet stand upright. Back in America, fund raising for the
pedestal was going particularly slowly, so Joseph Pulitzer (noted for the
Pulitzer Prize) opened up the editorial pages of his newspaper, "The
World" to support the fund raising effort. Pulitzer used his newspaper to
criticize both the rich who had failed to finance the pedestal construction and
the middle class who were content to rely upon the wealthy to provide the
funds. Pulitzer's campaign of harsh criticism was successful in motivating the
people of America to donate.
Financing for the pedestal was
completed in August 1885, and pedestal construction was finished in April of
1886. The Statue was completed in France in July, 1884 and arrived in New York
Harbor in June of 1885 on board the French frigate "Isere" which
transported the Statue of Liberty from France to the United States. In transit,
the Statue was reduced to 350 individual pieces and packed in 214 crates. The
Statue was re-assembled on her new pedestal in four months time. On October
28th 1886, the dedication of the Statue of Liberty took place in front of
thousands of spectators.
She was a centennial gift ten
years late.
The story of the Statue of Liberty
and her island has been one of change. The Statue was placed upon a granite
pedestal inside the courtyard of the star-shaped walls of Fort Wood (which had
been completed for the War of 1812.) The United States Lighthouse Board had
responsibility for the operation of the Statue of Liberty until 1901. After
1901, the care and operation of the Statue was placed under the War Department.
A Presidential Proclamation declared Fort Wood (and the Statue of Liberty
within it) a National Monument on October 15th, 1924 and the monument's
boundary was set at the outer edge of Fort Wood. In 1933, the care and
administration of the National Monument was transferred to the National Park
Service. On September 7, 1937, jurisdiction was enlarged to encompass all of
Bedloe's Island and in 1956, the island's name was changed to Liberty Island.
On May 11, 1965, Ellis
Island was also transferred to the National Park Service and became part of the
Statue of Liberty National Monument. In May of 1982, President Ronald Reagan
appointed Lee Iacocca to head up a private sector effort to restore the Statue
of Liberty. Fundraising began for the $87 million restoration under a
public/private partnership between the National Park Service and the Statue of
Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, Inc., to date the most successful such
partnership in American history. In 1984, at the start of the Statue's
restoration, the United Nations designated the Statue of Liberty as a World Heritage Site.
On July 5, 1986 the newly restored Statue re-opened to the public during
Liberty Weekend, which celebrated her centennial. The Statue of Liberty was
closed as a result of the tragedy of September 11, 2001. Although Liberty
Island re-opened after being closed for 100 days, the Statue remained closed
until August 3, 2004. Visitors now have access to the Statue's pedestal
obervation deck, promenade, museum and the area of Fort Wood.
Statue Statistics
|
Height from top of base to torch |
151'1" |
46.05m |
|
Ground to tip of torch |
305'1" |
92.99m |
|
Heel to top of head |
111'1" |
33.86m |
|
Length of hand |
16'5" |
5.00m |
|
Index finger |
8'0" |
2.44m |
|
Head from chin to cranium |
17'3" |
5.26m |
|
Head thickness from ear to ear |
10'0" |
3.05m |
|
Distance across the eye |
2'6" |
.76m |
|
Length of nose |
4'6" |
1.37m |
|
Length of right arm |
42'0" |
12.80m |
|
Thickness of right arm |
12'0" |
3.66m |
|
Thickness of waist |
35'0" |
10.67m |
|
Width of mouth |
3'0" |
.91m |
|
Length of tablet |
23'7" |
7.19m |
|
Width of tablet |
13'7" |
4.14m |
|
Thickness of tablet |
2'0" |
.61m |
|
Ground to top of pedestal |
154'0" |
46.94m |
There are 25 windows in the crown
which symbolize gemstones found on the earth and the heaven's rays shining over
the world. The seven rays of the Statue's crown represent the seven seas and
continents of the world. The tablet which the Statue holds in her left hand
reads (in Roman numerals) "July 4th, 1776." The total weight of
copper in the Statue is 62,000 pounds (31 tons) and the total weight of steel
in the Statue is 250,000 pounds (125 tons). Total weight of the Statue's
concrete foundation is 54 million pounds (27,000 tons). The copper sheeting of
the Statue is 3/32 of an inch thick or 2.37mm.
Wind sway: winds of 50 miles per
hour cause the Statue to sway 3 inches (7.62cm) and the torch sways 5 inches
(12.70cm).
On October 28th,
1886 was inaugurated. President Grover Cleveland accepted the Statue on behalf
of the United States and said in part: "We will not forget that Liberty
has here made her home; nor shall her chosen altar be neglected."
The
National Park Service commemorates the anniversary of the Statue of Liberty
annually on October 28th.