On this date in 1885, the Statue of Liberty, which had been taken apart and gifted as a sign of friendship from France to America, reached New York Harbor after its journey across the Atlantic Ocean, arriving in 350 separate pieces packed away in over 200 cases. This magnificent copper and iron statue was reconstructed and officially dedicated the following year during a ceremony led by U.S. President Grover Cleveland, becoming known globally as a lasting emblem of freedom and democracy.
The statue was meant to honor the American Revolution and celebrate a century of friendship between the U.S. and France. It was crafted by French sculptor Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi (who based the figure on his mother) and received engineering support from Gustave Eiffel, the notable designer of the iconic tower in Paris that shares his name.
Originally, the statue was expected to be completed by 1876, coinciding with the 100th anniversary of America’s Declaration of Independence. However, the fundraising efforts— which included auctions, a lottery, and boxing matches—took longer than planned, both in Europe and the U.S., where financing and constructing its pedestal was necessary. The statue itself cost the French around $250,000 (equivalent to over $5.5 million today).
Completing its construction in Paris during the summer of 1884, the statue—depicting a robed woman with an uplifted arm clutching a torch—arrived at its new residence on Bedloe’s Island in New York Harbor on June 17, 1885.
After reassembly, the 450,000-pound statue was formally dedicated by President Cleveland on October 28, 1886. He proclaimed, “We will not forget that Liberty has here made her home; nor shall her chosen altar be neglected.” Soaring to more than 305 feet from the base of its pedestal to the tip of its torch, this statue, named “Liberty Enlightening the World” by Bartholdi, surpassed any other structure in New York City at that time. While initially copper-colored, it gradually achieved its current greenish-blue tint due to a natural process called patination.
In 1892, Ellis Island, situated near Bedloe’s Island (renamed Liberty Island in 1956), began its operation as America’s primary immigration station. For the subsequent 62 years, Lady Liberty, as the statue is fondly called, presided over over 12 million immigrants arriving in New York Harbor. In 1903, a plaque bearing the sonnet “The New Colossus” by American poet Emma Lazarus, penned 20 years prior for a fundraising initiative for the pedestal, was affixed to an interior wall of the pedestal. Lazarus’ renowned lines, including “Give me your tired, your poor/Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,” epitomized America’s self-image as a land of opportunity for newcomers.
Approximately 60 years later, in 1924, President Calvin Coolidge declared the statue a national monument. It subsequently underwent an extensive restoration costing millions (which included a new torch and a gold leaf-covered flame) and was rededicated by President Ronald Reagan on July 4, 1986, during a grand celebration. Following the attacks on September 11, 2001, the statue was closed to the public; however, its base, pedestal, and observation deck reopened in 2004, and the crown welcomed visitors again on July 4, 2009. (Due to safety concerns, the torch has been inaccessible to visitors since 1916, following the Black Tom explosions, where German agents detonated munitions-laden barges and railroad cars at the Jersey City, New Jersey waterfront, damaging the nearby statue.)
Currently, the Statue of Liberty stands as one of America’s most iconic landmarks. Over time, it has hosted political rallies and protests (from suffragettes to anti-war demonstrators), has appeared in numerous films and countless photographs, and continues to attract millions of visitors from around the world.
