Liberty Island in Manhattan in New York County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Building the Statue of Liberty
The French sculptor, Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi designed the Statue of Liberty as a giant three-dimensional jigsaw puzzle. Over 300 thin sheets of copper, most of it from a copper mine in Karmoy, Norway, fit together to form the Statue’s outer skin. Each copper sheet is 3/32 of an inch thick, about the thickness of two coins. The sheets were shaped in France using the ancient repoussé method in which the metal is hammered and shaped within large wooden and plaster molds. The finished pieces were then shipped to the United States where they were assembled and supported on an ingenious iron framework of armature bars and girders designed by Alexandre Gustave Eiffel.
Erected by National Park Service.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Man-Made Features.
Location. 40° 41.318′ N, 74° 2.69′ W. Marker is in Manhattan, New York, in New York County. It is on Liberty Island. Marker is located on the south end of Liberty Island. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: New York NY 10004, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Liberty’s Symbols (within shouting distance of this marker); Cornerstone of the Statue of Liberty Pedestal (within shouting distance of this marker); The Pedestal (within shouting distance of this marker); Copper for the Statue of Liberty (within shouting distance of this marker); Why is the Statue Green? (within shouting distance of this marker); The New Colossus (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Edouard Rene De Laboulaye (about 400 feet away); Frederic Auguste Bartholdi (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Manhattan.
More about this marker. Portraits of Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi and Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel appear at the bottom of the marker. Also on the marker is a picture depicting the “Construction of the Statue of Liberty, from a sketch in ‘Leslie’s Weekly,’ early 1886.” Another picture of a cross-section of the Statue shows “The interior framework designed by Eiffel.”
Credits. This page was last revised on January 31, 2023. It was originally submitted on November 7, 2011, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 729 times since then and 19 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on June 2, 2022, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on November 7, 2011, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.