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| Restoration of the Statue of
Liberty |
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 In May of 1982, President Ronald Reagan appointed Lee Iacocca to head up a private sector effort to restore the Statue of Liberty. Fundraising began for the $87 million restoration under a public/private partnership between the National Park Service and the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, Inc., to date the most successful such partnership in American history. In 1984, at the start of the Statue's restoration, the United Nations designated the Statue of Liberty as a World Heritage Site.
 Through one hundred years of biting sea winds, driving rains and beating sun, the copper skin of the Statue of Liberty not only has grown more beautiful but also has remained virtually intact.
While a glance at the Statue’s rich, green patina provides proof of copper’s enduring good
looks §, closer analysis shows that weathering and oxidation of the copper skin has amounted to just .005 of an inch in a century.
For this reason, the copper skin was one of the few major elements of the Statue that did not need to be significantly rebuilt or completely replaced when the Statue was renovated for its centennial.
The only copper part of the Statue that required renovation was the torch
section §, which was rebuilt with new copper and patinated before installation to match the rich, green color of the existing copper – testimony to copper’s unique ability to grow more attractive over the
years §.
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. The copper fastenings ensure structural integrity and, as part of the total materials system, guard against any galvanic reaction problems.
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Overcoming Challenges
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These are some of the challenges faced by the restoration team:
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- The project was supported by private funding, but was under the aegis of a government agency.
- It initially involved consultants from two countries and at least two approaches to the restoration/preservation debate.
- Extensive research was required, along with an army of technicians and experts.
- The project had a strict deadline—completion by July 4, 1986.
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| Changes & Additions |
Two years of restoration work was completed before the statue's centennial celebration on July 4, 1986. Among other repairs, the multimillion dollar project included replacing the 1,600 wrought iron bands that hold the statue's copper skin to its frame, replacing its torch, and installing an elevator.
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