Statue of Liberty Close Up and Personal

by Ken Rock, MSDC Editor

I recently visited the Statue of Liberty for the first time, despite having lived on the east coast for more than 30 years. I found that despite the crowds and having to wait in lines for the ferry to get both on and off the island, the experience was quite moving and worthwhile.

The Statue of Liberty began its journey to America on June 17th, 1885 to honor the alliance between America and France during the American Revolution. It sought to recognize America as a proponent of liberty while encouraging the people of France to support these same ideals.

The Statue soon became an iconic symbol of the American spirit and the immigrant experience. Standing at a height of 305 feet, Lady Liberty holds a torch in one hand and a tablet inscribed with the date of the Declaration of Independence in the other.

The Pedestal

The granite pedestal of the Statue was paid for entirely by private donations raised in the United States. It was designed by the eminent American architect, Richard Morris Hunt, and engineered by former Civil War general Charles P. Stone. Its variety of bold shapes and rich textures make the pedestal seem less massive as it tapers gracefully upward.

Building the Statue of Liberty

The French sculptor Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi designed the Statue of Liberty like a giant puzzle. Over 300 thin sheets of copper, most of it from a copper mine in Karmoy, Norway, fit together to form the Statue's outer skin. Each copper sheet is 3/32 of an inch think, about the thickness of two American pennies.

The sheets were shaped in France using the ancient repousse method in which the metal is hammered and shaped within large wooden molds. The finished pieces were then shipped to the United States where they were assembled and supported on an ingenious iron framework of armature bars and girders designed by Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel.

Why is the Statue Green?

At its inauguration, the Statue was the color of a reddish-brown penny. Over time, the Statue's skin turned green through patination, a chemical reaction that occurs when copper is exposed to moist air. This natural process formed layers of corrosion that actually protect the Statue.

Fort Wood

The Statue of Liberty's pedestal sits on top of the remains of Fort Wood, originally one link in a change of defenses protecting New York City and it's vital harbor. The fort was built between 1808 and 1811 in the shape of an eleven-pointed star. The eleven-pointed star design was brought to North America by French military engineers in the 17th century.

Fort Wood acted as a lookout and defensive fortification with guns placed on top of its walls as well as a battery of guns entrenched near the shoreline. The fort was occupied by the War Department as an army post until 1937.

Liberty's Symbols

The Statue of Liberty conveys its message of freedom through several dramatic details. The broken shackles at the Statue's feel signify the emancipation of enslaved people and the end of tyranny. The tablet in the Statue's left arm represents the law. Written on the tablet in Roman numerals is the date of the American Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776. The seven rays of the Statue's crown represent a sunburst spreading enlightenment and reason throughout the world. Most significant of all, however, the torch and flame symbolize Liberty enlightening the world.

Perhaps no poem brings the torch and flame to life more than The New Colossus, a sonnet written my Emma Lazarus in 1883 to raise funds for the pedestal. In her poem, Lazarus characterized the Statue as the "Mother of Exiles" with her torch offering "world-wide welcome" – an image that has resonated deeply with many people.

Restoring the Statue

The Statue had its first repairs only in the 20th century when it threatened to collapse. Public funds financed the interior repainting, base repair with granite, and construction of a new wharf. Additionally, the first elevator was installed then, which was extremely innovative. But even after these and other minor repairs, it became clear that the iron structure inside the statue had to be redone, something that none of the management agencies were eager to do.

In 1982, four years before the Statue's centennial anniversary, President Ronald Reagan appointed Lee Iacocca, the Chairman of Chrysler Corporation, to head the Statue of Liberty - Ellis Island Foundation. The Foundation was created to lead the private sector effort and raise the funds for the renovation and preservation of the Statue for its centennial in 1986. The Foundation worked with the National Park Service to plan, oversee, and implement this restoration.

A team of French and American architects, engineers, and conservators came together to determine what was needed to ensure the Statue's preservation into the next century. In 1984, scaffolding was erected around the exterior of the Statue and construction began on the interior.

Workers repaired holes in the copper skin and removed layers of paint from the interior of the copper skin and internal iron structure. They replaced the rusting iron armature bars (which joined the copper skin to the Statue's internal skeleton) with stainless steel bars. The flame and upper portion of the torch had been severely damaged by water and was replaced with an exact replica of Bartholdi's original torch. The torch was gilded according to Bartholdi's original plans.

The restoration was completed in 1986 and the Statue's centennial was celebrated on July 4 with fireworks and fanfare. On July 5th, a new Statue of Liberty exhibit opened in the base of the pedestal.

Rehabilitation of the Terreplein at Fort Wood

A current project underway at the site is replacing the stone walking surface of the terreplein at Fort Woo, an 11-pointed star-shaped granite structure built between 1808 and 1811. The terreplein is a 50,000 square foot pedestrian plaza at the base of the Statue of Liberty's pedestal. The project will make drainage and safety improvements that will help preserve the structure and enhance accessibility for visitors.

Crumbling and displaced granite and bluestone pavers throughout the terreplain is the most concerning issue in need of treatment today. These poor conditions pose gripping hazards and severely limit accessibility for visitors. This project will also add a waterproof barrier to areas of the terreplain that cross over interior spaces that house the Statue of Liberty's electrical and mechanical infrastructure.

Repairs will be made to the exterior staircases at the base of the pedestal, specifically to ensure that granite cladding is anchored well into the substructure. Structural work will also be completed to the slab that supports the terreplein where it crosses over open spaces in the lobby and utility rooms inside the fort.

All work will be performed in accordance with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties.