Location: Bedloe’s Island in New York City harbor
Height: 151 feet tall from base to torch; 305 feet tall from pedestal
foundation to torch
Weight: The total weight of copper in the Statue is 62,000 lbs (31 tons);
the total weight of steel in the Statue is 250,000 lbs (125 tons); total
weight of the Statue's concrete foundation is 54 million lbs (27,000 tons)
Date Opened: Dedication took place on October 28th 1886
Designer: Frederic Auguste Bartholdi
Purpose: Given to the people of the United States by the people of France
in recognition of the friendship established during the American
Revolution
Materials of Construction: Copper sheeting over a steel framework
Fun Facts: Bartholdi’s mother was the model for the face; Alexandre
Gustave Eiffel (designer of the Eiffel Tower) was commissioned to design
the iron pylon and secondary skeletal framework which allows the
Statue's copper skin to move independently yet stand upright; the seven
rays of the Statue's crown represent the seven seas and continents of the
world; there are 25 windows in the crown which symbolize gemstones
found on the earth and the heaven's rays shining over the world; the
individual pieces and packed in 214 crates; upon arrival in New York, the
Statue was re-assembled on her pedestal in four months time; there were
3,240,307 visitors in 2003
Website: www.nps.gov/stli/index.htm
Photo Credit: National Park Service
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