Autumn Years Spring 2024

Learn some history at: www.statueofliberty.org/statue-of-liberty/ statue-of-liberty-museum/ In 1884 Frederic-August Bartholdi and Alfred Eiffel completed the statue in France, inspired by Edouard de Laboulaye’s idea. Richard Morris Hunt oversaw the construction of the pedestal on Liberty Island, then known as Bedloe’s Island. The pedestal was completed April 1886, and statue was dedicated Oct. 28, 1886, by President Grover Cleveland. In the 1980s, when the (Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island) Foundation was restoring the Statue for its centennial celebration, a team of experts determined that the original torch could not be restored. A century of modifications had radically altered Bartholdi’s solid copper flame to one mainly of glass. Leaks from rain and corrosion from the elements had damaged the original torch above the handle beyond repair. It was removed on July 4, 1984, and replaced with a replica that followed Bartholdi’s design. Today, the original torch is on display in the Inspiration Gallery of the Statue of Liberty Museum. The statue is made of copper 3/32 in. (2.4 millimeters) thick, the same as two U.S. pennies put together. The statue’s current replacement torch, added in 1986, is a copper flame covered in 24K gold. It is reflective of the sun’s rays in the daytime and lit by 16 LED floodlights at night. Learn about the Statue of Liberty National Monument restoration at: www.nps.gov/stli/learn/ historyculture/places_restoring.htm The statue’s restoration work began in 1984 and was completed in 1986. The National Park Service website tells us that “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 (the) original torch. The torch was gilded according to original plans.” From the National Park Service we also learn that: The Statue of Liberty is 305 feet-1 inch from the ground to the tip of the flame. It is the equivalent height of a 22-story building. In 1886, it was the tallest structure in New York.

SPRING 2024 I AUTUMN YEARS 35