Statue of Liberty - Liberty Island, NY
N 40° 41.368 W 074° 02.686
18T E 580712 N 4504724
The Statue of Liberty was designated as an International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by ASCE & the Société des Ingénieurs et Scientifiques de France in 1985. A plaque marking the designation was dedicated by the two societies on Oct. 24, 1986
Waymark Code: WMB2F0
Location: New York, United States
Date Posted: 03/26/2011
Views: 71
While a largely symbolic structure, the design and construction of the Statue of Liberty involved many unique engineering challenges. The iron framework supporting the copper skin was an early example of curtain wall construction, a method of construction copied in 1885 for the first skyscraper, and still in use today. By designing the thin copper skin to "float" over framework, it permitted thermal expansion and contraction to take place without inducing excessive stresses. The massive granite and concrete pedestal was one of the heaviest pieces of masonry ever built. Its construction stimulated the use of concrete as a building material for many structures in the United States.
On September 9, 1987, the Metropolitan and New Jersey Sections served as joint hosts for the dedication of the Restoration of the Statue of Liberty as the 1987 ASCE Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement award. Over 100 people attended the dedication ceremony, which was followed by a tour of the national monument and a luncheon on Governor's Island. ASCE President Dan Barge presided over the dedication ceremony at the statue.
This is probably the most visited and most recognizable statue in the world. The Statue of Liberty was a gift of international friendship from the people of France to the people of the United States and is a universal symbol of freedom and democracy. The Statue of Liberty was dedicated on October 28, 1886, designated as a National Monument in 1924 and restored for her centennial on July 4, 1986.
The SIRIS site describes this national monument as an allegorical female figure, representing Liberty, standing with right hand held high above her head. She holds a torch in her proper right hand. The statue stands upon a pedestal that rests within the star-shaped walls of Fort Hunt. The circular stairway within the statue has 171 steps and the pedestal stairway contains 167 steps.
The idea for the statue originated in 1865 by a group of French Repubicans. From the first model in terra cotta, Bartholdi progressed to the final figure by creating four successive statues, each an exact larger-scale version of the one preceding. The statue was completed ca. 1884 and between 1884 and 1886, disassembled and shipped across the Atlantic. The pedestal was designed by Hunt; supporting structure by Viollet-le-Duc, and upon his death, Eiffel. Ten years after the statue was presented U.S. citizens had finally raised enough money to pay for the base. Portfolio (magazine) July/August 1981 issue includes historic photographs by French industrial photographer, Fernique, depicting the statue's assembly.
The statue is composed of hammered copper sheets attached to an iron framework. It was dedicated on October 28, 1886. The overall height is 305 feet with the statue having a height of 151 feet. The base is 154 feet and has a weight of 225 tons. Many people were involved in the undertaking to create this monument including:
Bartholdi, Frederic Auguste, 1834-1904, sculptor
Hunt, Richard Morris, 1827-1895, architect
Eiffel, Alexandre-Gustave, 1832-1923, engineer
Viollet-le-Duc, Eugene Emmanuel, engineer
Gaget, Gautheir et Compagnie, fabricator