7/29/2019 Restoration of the Statue of Liberty

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Restoration of the Statue of LibertyIn May of 1982, President Ronald Reagan appointed Lee Iacocca to head up a privatesector effort to restore the Statue of Liberty. Fundraising began for the $87 millionrestoration under a public/private partnership between the National Park Service and theStatue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, Inc., to date the most successful such partnershipin American history. In 1984, at the start of the Statue's restoration, the United Nationsdesignated the Statue of Liberty as a World Heritage Site.

Through one hundred years of biting sea winds, driving rains and beating sun, the copperskin of the Statue of Liberty not only has grown more beautiful but also has remainedvirtually intact.

While a glance at the Statues rich, green patina provides proof of coppers enduring goodlooks , closer analysis shows that weathering and oxidation of the copper skin hasamounted to just .005 of an inch in a century. For this reason, the copper skin was one ofthe few major elements of the Statue that did not need to be significantly rebuilt orcompletely replaced when the Statue was renovated for its centennial.

The only copper part of the Statue that required renovation was the torch section , whichwas rebuilt with new copper and patinated before installation to match the rich, green colorof the existing copper testimony to coppers unique ability to grow more attractive over theyears .

Copper played a key role in the restoration of the Statue inside, as well as outside. High-alloy copper saddles and rivets now secure the copper skin the skeleton underneath. Thecopper fastenings ensure structural integrity and, as part of the total materials system,guard against any galvanic reaction problems.

Overcoming Challenges

These are some of the challenges faced by the restoration team:

The project was supported by private funding, but was under the aegis of agovernment agency.

It initially involved consultants from two countries and at least two approaches to therestoration/preservation debate.

Extensive research was required, along with an army of technicians and experts.

The project had a strict deadlinecompletion by July 4, 1986.

Changes & Additions

Two years of restoration work was completed before the statue's centennial celebration onJuly 4, 1986. Among other repairs, the multimillion dollar project included replacing the1,600 wrought iron bands that hold the statue's copper skin to its frame, replacing its torch,and installing an elevator.