Education

Statue of Liberty

The Statue of Liberty is dedicated in 1886 on Liberty Island in New York Harbor. The colossal neoclassical sculpture is a gift to the United States from the people of France. Frederic Auguste Bartholdi designs the statute to represent the Roman goddess of freedom who holds a torch and tablet inscribed with the date of the American Independence. The pedestal and base are designed by American Richard Morris Hunt and 120,000 contributors donate funds to complete the project. The pedestal design contains classical elements and is made of poured concrete faced with granite blocks. In 1886 the pedestal is the largest poured concrete project in the country. Frederick Law Olmstead, the designer of New York's Central Park, designs the landscape around the statue.