A gift from the people of France, the Statue of Liberty was dedicated on October 28, 1886, in New York Harbor. The sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi designed it, and Richard Morris Hunt designed its pedestal.
Gustave Eiffel built the iron framework inside, a truss tower that carries a copper skin only 0.094 inch (2.4 mm) thick. The sheets were hammered into shape in France, shipped in crates and assembled on site. Metal saddles attach the skin loosely, so the statue can move in wind and expand in heat. The pedestal, a truncated pyramid of concrete faced in granite, stands inside Fort Wood, an eleven-point star-shaped base. The statue is 151 feet (46 m) tall, or 305 feet (93 m) with the pedestal.
The armature was replaced and a new gold-leaf torch installed in 1984 to 1986. The crown fully reopened in October 2022. Entry is free, but visitors pay for the ferry.
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