The Statue of Liberty

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The Statue of Liberty
There is an excellent architectural work involved in the development of the vast Statue of Liberty which is lying in the New York City’s Island of Liberty. The Statue was built in the United States’ New York Harbor. The statue’s skin is made of copper, and it is a gift from the French people to the citizens of the United States. The design of the Statue was done by a French person in France where body parts building also took place. The main aim of building the Statue was to dedicate it to the United States as it symbolizes friendship between these two countries. The project was a combined task force stuck between two nations in honor of everlasting friendship between US and France. The Americans built the pedestal where the statue would be located on a small Island in Upper New York Bay; the Island is currently referred to as Liberty Island. In 1886, the United States president (President Grover Cleveland) officially launched the Statue amidst cheers from lots of American people who had come out to witness the launching of this National Monument.
Edouard de Laboulaye, who was a French Historian, suggested that they (France) should make a statue and dedicate to the United States citizens in appreciation of the United States achievement in creating a sustainable democracy; this was during the last days of American Civil War. Frederic Auguste Bartholdi was assigned the task of designing the sculpture as soon as possible since the centenary celebration of the Declaration of Independence in 1876 was approaching.

Since the project was a combined effort between France and United States, Bartholdi was inspired to build a massive statue during his tour to the United States. This is well illustrated when he said that “Everything is big here, even the green peace!”(Sutherland 17). The French people were tasked with making the sculpture and its required assembly whereas the Americans were tasked with creating the pedestal which would be used by the statue to stand on, and this was an icon of friendship between the two nations. The work of sculpture making was derailed until 1875 due to the insufficient fund’s. Whereas there was intensive work going on in France on the sculpture, the Americans were busy doing fundraising in the United States for the construction of the pedestal.
The statue of Liberty through the torch held in the woman’s raised up right hand and the left side holding a tablet depicted the enlightened world. The Statue’s skin was made by hammering the large copper sheets using repousse technique. To build the skeleton on which the surface would be brought together, Bartholdi contracted Alexandre-Gustave Eiffe together with Eugène-Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc who made the frame using iron pylon and steel. This enabled the skin to fit smoothly and move independently a state that was necessary to withstand the intense wind it would face in New York Harbor, the chosen location for the liberty statue. After completing the Statue in 1885, aboard the French frigate Isere, the Statue was transported to New York City. This was after being dissembled and packed in more than 200 crates. Reassembling of the statue took the next four months after arriving in New York. The Statue of Liberty reached a height of 305 feet inclusive of the pedestal. According to the National Park Service, The Liberty Statue was officially dedicated to the Americans by president Grover Cleveland amidst cheers from thousands of spectators on October 28, 1886.
The Statue of Liberty has always given the passers-by a sense of feeling at home to the people who pass through Ellis Island as it looms above New York Harbor that is just nearby. The statue’s most crucial passage message is the figure of democracy and freedom that welcomes lots of immigrants who come to the States to seek better standards of living. The Bedloe’s Island was retitled Liberty Island in 1956 and what followed in 1965 was the closure of The Liberty Island as a state arrival place. At the beginning of 1901, the exposure of the Statue’s copper skin to different weather conditions caused the oxidation of the surface, which as a result led to verdigris of the statue. The visit to the icon was closed to the public in 1984 as it underwent an intensive restoration in preparation for the centenary celebration in the US. It was designated as a world heritage by the United Nations even though restoration of the national monument had just begun; it was later reopened to the public during the centenary celebration. Due to the constant attacks threats from the terrorist, the public was barred for 100 days in 2001 from visiting the Statue of liberty. The statue remained closed until it’s reopening to the citizens in 2009 even though tourists still had to obtain a booking to be permitted to climb to the pedestal.
“The Statue of Liberty was a sign of freedom and democracy” (Marc 6). The Island of Liberty was used for many years as an immigration station, as boats could dock or pass-by. The immigrants traveling to the US aboard the ship felt welcomed as they passed the Statue. France and the United States being a free country, the Statue symbolized their freedom and friendship they developed over the years as they embraced freedom. The Statue has been widely regarded as enlightening the world since it was mainly meant to show other countries to adopt liberty and democracy in their system of governance.

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Work Cited
Cara A.Sutherland. “The Statue of Liberty.” Barnes and Noble books New York,( 2003) pg. 17, ISBN 0-7607-3890-4
Mark Tyler Nobleman. “The statue of Liberty.” American symbols (2003) pg. 6, Capstone press ISBN 0-7368-1632-1
National Park Service. “Statue of Liberty.” National monument New York. www.nps.gov