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Few landmarks represent America's symbols of freedom as proudly as the Statue of Liberty. Presiding over New York Harbor, The Grand Lady beckons everyone who passes by her to celebrate and cherish what our great country stands for.
The Statue of Liberty was given to the United States by France in 1886. The idea for the gift was conceived at a dinner party in 1865. She was sculpted by Frederic Bartholdi, and Gustave Eiffel served as the structural engineer. It was fabricated using the Repousse Process and was completed in 1884. The statue was presented to the U.S. on July 4, 1884 and was dismantled and shipped to America in early 1885 on the French frigate "Isere". There were 214 crates holding 350 pieces on the journey across the Atlantic.
Richard Morris Hunt served as architect for the pedestal. The Champion Fundraiser for the Pedestal was Joseph Pulitzer (Hungarian immigrant and Publisher of the New York World), and the Treasurer of The American Committee for the Statue of LIberty was Henry A. Spaulding. The pedestal became the largest 19th Century Concrete Structure in the U.S. weighing 27,000 tons with a volume of 13,300 cubic yards.
On October 28, 1886, President Grover Cleveland officially accepted the Statue saying - "We will not forget that liberty here made her home; nor shall her chosen altar be neglected." It is ironic that it was President Cleveland who vetoed funding for the pedestal in 1884, making private fundraising necessary. The Statue of Liberty was designated a National Monument on October 15, 1924.
Initially, visitors could go up the arm to the torch, but the arm was closed to visitors in 1916. On July 30, 1916, during World War I, German saboteurs blew up a cache of dynamite at nearby Black Tom Wharf in New Jersey. The explosion did extensive structural damage to the buildings on Ellis Island, and popped some bolts out of the Statue of Liberty's right arm. Officials closed the monument for about a week. When it re-opened and ever since that time, the arm has been off limits to tourists.
INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT THE STATUE OF LIBERTY...
Wind speed at which She sways: 3" at 50 mph; Torch sway is 5" at 50 mph... Number of windows in the crown: 25; number of spikes in the crown: Seven rays of the diadem (7 oceans of the World)... Inscription on the tablet - July 4, 1776 (in Roman numerals)
Height from base to torch: 151' 1" - Height from foundation of pedestal to torch - 305' 1" - Heel to top of head - 111' 1"
Length of hand - 16' 5" - Index finger - 8' - Size of fingernail - 13" x 10" weighing 3.5 lbs
Head from chin to cranium - 17' 3" - Head thickness from ear to ear - 10' - Length of nose - 4' 6"
Approximate fabric in Liberty's dress - 4,000 square yards. Bartholdi intentionally clothed Liberty as a classical Roman diety. She wears a "palla", a cloak that is fastened on her left shoulder by a clasp. Underneath is a "stola", which falls in many folds to her feet.
The ships shown in this painting sailed past Liberty in 2000. Many Tall Ships gathered around her at her 100th birthday in July 1986. It was a sight to behold.
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