Article • Statue of Liberty Panoramic Tour

Statue of Liberty Panoramas - Liberty Island

Statue of Liberty Dock

Visitors have been arriving on Liberty Island (formerly Bedloe’s Island) since 1886 to see the monumental sculpture by Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi officially called Liberty Enlightening the World. At the time of its unveiling, the Statue of Liberty was the largest piece of copper statuary in history, as well as the tallest structure in New York. The Statue was conceived by French liberals as an expression of support for the United States’ commitment to republicanism in the wake of the Union’s victory in the Civil War and has been widely recognized as a symbol of friendship between France and the United States.

HDP/Paul Davidson and Ryan Pierce


Statue of Liberty Information Office

Originally managed by the U.S. Lighthouse Board and the U.S. War Department, stewardship of the Statue of Liberty National Monument was transferred to the National Park Service in 1933. NPS built the administration and concessions buildings in 1941 to serve the growing crowd of tourists. By the 20th century, the Statue had become an important patriotic symbol closely associated with welcoming immigrants into New York Harbor and the United States.

HDP/Paul Davidson and Ryan Pierce


Statue of Liberty Flagpole Plaza

View from the flagpole in front of the museum. The Statue's copper skin is 3/32 inch thick, the approximate thickness of two pennies. It is supported by an ingenious iron framework designed by French engineer Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, known at the time for his railway bridges. Eiffel’s design ably bore the vertical weight of the Statue’s copper skin and the horizontal force of the wind.

HDP/Paul Davidson and Ryan Pierce


Statue of Liberty Main Mall

The c. 1807 fortification walls of Fort Wood were filled with the massive concrete foundations for the Statue, creating an elevated base for the pedestal designed by venerable American architect Richard Morris Hunt. When fundraising to build the 89 foot tall granite-faced pedestal lagged in 1885, New York World publisher Joseph Pulitzer stepped in to galvanize the effort.

HDP/Paul Davidson and Ryan Pierce


Statue of Liberty Museum Gallery

The original 1886 torch is the centerpiece of the Statue of Liberty Museum. Originally designed to be solid sheets of copper and gilded, openings were cut into the flame to allow use as a lighthouse or beacon. Its current appearance reflects the third round of alterations completed in 1916.

HDP/Paul Davidson and Ryan Pierce


Statue of Liberty Museum Roof

Visitors to the Statue of Liberty Museum have an opportunity to see Liberty Island and its environs from the roof deck. The exhibits inside illuminate the history of the Statue of Liberty and its continually evolving meaning in the United States and throughout the world.

HDP/Paul Davidson and Ryan Pierce


Part of a series of articles titled Statue of Liberty Panoramic Tour.

Next: Statue of Liberty Panoramas - Fort Wood and Pedestal

Tags

Last updated: July 13, 2023