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| Statue Of Liberty |
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The Statue of Liberty (dedicated on October 28, 1886), in full Liberty Enlightening the World, is a National Memorial statue, given to the United States by the French Third Republic in the late 19th century, that stands at the mouth of the Hudson River in New York Harbor as a welcome to all returning Americans, visitors, and immigrants alike. The sculptor was Frederic Auguste Bartholdi; Gustave Eiffel (of Eiffel Tower fame) created the armature.
The copper statue of the goddess of Liberty was a gift of France, commemorating the centennial of the United States and as a gesture of friendship between the two nations. The pedestal was constructed by the United States. The Statue of Liberty is one of the most recognizable icons worldwide and is often used as a symbol that personifies the U.S., much like Uncle Sam. In a more general sense, the Statue of Liberty is used to represent liberty in general and is a favored symbol of libertarians.
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The Statue of Liberty is located on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, about 2000 feet (600 m) from Jersey City, New Jersey and 1-5/8 statute miles (2.6 km) southwest of the southern tip of Manhattan. (The island was officially called "Bedloe's Island" until 1956, but the name "Liberty Island" has been in popular use since the early 1900s.) |
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The goddess of liberty holds a torch in her right hand and a tablet in her left. The tablet shows the caption "JULY IV MDCCLXXVI", the date of the Declaration of Independence. One of her feet stands on chains. The seven spikes in her crown represent the seven seas or seven continents.
The height from ground to the tip of the torch is 305 feet (93 m); this includes the foundation and the pedestal. The height of the statue itself, from the top of the base to the torch, is 151 feet (46 m).
The statue was built from thin copper plates hammered into wooden forms. The formed plates were then mounted onto a steel skeleton.
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| The statue is normally open to visitors, who arrive by ferry and can climb stairs into her crown, which provides a broad view of New York Harbor. A museum in the pedestal accessible by elevator presents the history of the statue. At one time, the ladder in the right arm holding the torch was also open to the public, but it has for many years been restricted to staff use, for maintaining the lighting equipment in the torch. |
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The statue and island were closed from September 11, 2001 to August 3, 2004 due to heightened security following the destruction of the World Trade Center. During this period, only the grounds of Liberty Island were open for visitation; the statue, museum, crown, and all outdoor observation decks remained closed.
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