The Statue of Liberty by Lechi Pham

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 Statue of Liberty National Monument officially celebrated her 100th birthday on October 28, 1986. The people of France gave the Statue to the people of the United States over one hundred years ago in recognition of the friendship established during the American Revolution. Over the years, the Statue of Liberty's symbolism has grown to include freedom and democracy as well as this international friendship.



The Statue of Liberty was closed to visitors following September 11, 2001, but Liberty Island was reopened on December 20, 2001. The Promenade and Observatory were reopened to visitors beginning August 3, 2004 by reserved ticket only. On July 4, 2009 the Crown was once again made accessible to visitors. You can take the staircase inside the statue and walk all the way up the 354 steps to the crown from where you have a nice view over New York City.