The Statue Of Liberty

Visitors: for ticket and schedule information, call (212)269-5755
Also see: National Park Service website

The Statue of Liberty was a gift to the United States from the people of France, conceived and designed as a monument to a great international friendship. But its significance has broadened and for many people throughout the world it has become the recognized symbol of liberty. See dedication poem: The New Colossus

Historical Notes:

Construction of the Statue began in France in the year 1875, by sculptor Auguste Bartholdi. The final completion date of the individual sections was in June of 1884, and it stood in Paris until it was dismantled in early 1885 for shipping to the US. Engineering of the structure's assembly was done by Gustave Eiffel.

The French frigate "Isere" transported the Statue from France to the United States. In transit the Statue was reduced to 350 individual pieces and packed in 214 crates.

(The pedestal was designed by architect Richard M.Hunt in 1877. Construction of the pedestal began in 1883 and was completed in 1884, and final assembly of the statue & pedestal was completed in 1886)

On October 28, 1886 President Grover Cleveland accepted The Statue on behalf of the United States and said in part: "we will not forget that liberty here made her home; nor shall her chosen altar be neglected".

Physical Details:

Winds of 50 miles per hour cause the Statue to sway 3 inches (7.62 cm) and the torch to sway 5 inches (12.7 cm).

There are 25 windows in the crown which comprise the jewels beneath the seven rays of the diadem. The tablet which the Statue holds in her left hand reads, in Roman numerals, "July 4, 1776" the day of America's independence from Britain.

                                             Standard          Metric
  Height from base to torch                   151' 1"          46.50m
  Foundation of pedestal to 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
  Circumference at second joint                 3' 6"           1.07m
  Size of fingernail                          13"x10"        13x25.4m
  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"           l.48m
  Right arm length                             42' 0"          12.80m
  Right arm greatest thickness                 12' 0"           3.66m
  Thickness of waist                           35' 0"          10.67m
  Width of mouth                                3' 0"            .91m
  Tablet, length                               23' 7"           7.19m
  Tablet, width                                13' 7"           4.14m
  Tablet, thickness                             2' 0"            .61m
  Height of granite pedestal                   89' 0"          27.13m
  Height of foundation                         65' 0"          19.81m


Weight of copper used in Statue - 200,000 pounds (100 tons)
Weight of steel used in Statue -  250,000 pounds (125 tons)
Total weight used in Statue -     450,000 pounds (225 tons)
Copper sheeting of Statue is 3/32 of an inch thick (2.37mm)

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The New Colossus

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Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch whose flame
Is imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

"Keep ancient lands your storied pomp!" cries she with silent lips.

"Give me your tired your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

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Emma Lazarus (1849-1887)

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