Frenchman Edouard de Laboulaye first proposed the idea of a monument for the United States in 1865. Ten years later sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi was commissioned to design a sculpture with 1876 in mind for completion, to commemorate the centennial of the American Declaration of Independence. The Statue was named Liberty Enlightening the World and was a joint effort between America and France. The Statue was completed in France in July 1884 and arrived in New York Harbor in June 1885. After almost a century, weather, pollution, and sightseeing left Lady Liberty’s torch in need of replacement and her crown’s rays in need of strengthening. An army of architects, historians, engineers, and almost 1,000 laborers embarked on the project.
On July 5, 1986, the newly restored Statue reopened to the public during Liberty Weekend, a gala four-day event celebrating the restoration. Fireworks filled the night skies; tall ships flocked the Harbor. Liberty Weekend, attended by President Reagan and President Francois Mitterand of France, was broadcast to 1.5 billion people in 51 countries. The Foundation, the National Park Service, and the American people had launched the most successful public-private partnership in the history of the United States. A must-have for the armchair traveler, student of architecture, native New Yorker, or for anyone who is inspired by our Lady Liberty.