A gift of friendship from the people of France to the United States "The Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World" is recognized as a universal symbol of freedom and democracy. It was dedicated by President Grover Cleveland on October 28, 1886. D...
This self-guided tour helps visitors learn about the Statue of Liberty while exploring Liberty Island.<br />Adult tours are available in the following languages: English, Spanish, French, Italian, German, Mandarin, Russian, Arabic, Japanese.<br />
The Statue of Liberty's pedestal sits atop the remains of Fort Wood, originally one link in a chain of defenses protecting New York City and its vital harbor. The fort was built between 1808 and 1811 in the shape of an eleven-pointed star and was occupied by the War Department as an army post until 1937.<br />The eleven-pointed star design was brought to North America by French military engineers in the 17th century. The fort acted as a lookout position with harbor guns entrenched near the shore.
Liberty Island is home of the Statue of Liberty National Monument and Fort Wood. The Statue was a gift from the people of France to the people of the Untied States celebrating the friendship between the two nations. The symbolism of the Statue is ever changing.
Access into the monument is very limited. Pedestal tickets are reserved through Statue Cruises prior to visiting the island. A limited number of "Pedestal Access" tickets are available each day at the ticket offices in Battery Park, NY, and Liberty State Park, NJ, on a first-come, first-serve basis.
You are looking at the remains of a bomb-proof room, most likely built in the 1840's. The mortared brick vault enclosed this room, which was later converted for use as a guard room and then as a prison cell.
The Sculpture Garden brings to life some of the most important people involved in the creation and construction of the Statue of Liberty and its pedestal. View the statues of Edouard de Laboulaye, Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi, Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel, Joseph Pulitzer, and Emma Lazrus.
The front of the island is one of the best places to get pictures and capture the beauty of the Statue of Liberty. Standing at 305 feet and 1 inch (93 meters), the Statue was the tallest structure in New York when built in 1886. The Statue is raising a torch with her right arm and her left arm is supporting a tablet bearing the date of American Independence, July 4, 1776 in Roman numerals (July IV, MDCCLXXVI.)
Statue of Liberty front and Why is the Statue Green<br /><br />527 words Length: 2:07<br /><br />The Statue of Liberty is a 151 feet tall female figure wearing a Grecian style robe pinned at her left shoulder. Her right arm is raised up at an eighty degree angle, and she holds a torch with a golden flame. Her left arm is bent at the elbow, close to her left side. In her left hand, she holds a tablet inscribed "July IV MDCCLXXVI". On her head she wears a circular crown with seven triangular shaped rays extending across the front. Each ray is nine feet long. The base of the crown has twenty-five windows for viewing the New York Harbor and beyond.<br /><br />The statue sits on an eighty-nine-foot tall granite pedestal. The four-sided pedestal has three viewing windows on each side. It rises above a sixty-five-foot tall granite and cement base in the shape of an eleven pointed star. The total height of the statue from the ground to the tip of the torch is 305 feet, the equivalent of a 22-story building.<br /><br />About 100 feet to the left of the statue, there is an informational wayside sign entitled "Why is the Statue Green?". It sits at the edge of the walkway on a concrete slab angled 45 degrees front to back. The sign is two feet tall by three feet wide. The background of the sign is an extreme close up of the folds of Lady Liberty's robe rendered in orange and red tones. It gives an impressionistic sense of light and shadow. The text reads: "The answer is in the air. The Statue's skin is made of copper, and when copper is exposed to oxygen in the air, it undergoes a chemical reaction called oxidation. The reaction causes a fine crust or film to develop that is usually green in color. This layer protects the original metal underneath. In copper and bronze, this natural protective process is called patination. It took nearly thirty years for the Statue to turn from her original copper color to the green you see today. The patination process can also be observed on buildings where copper or bronze are used for roofing or ornamentation such as the ferry dock on Liberty Island and on the roof and domes of the Immigration Station at Ellis Island."<br /><br />End of Text<br /><br />To the right of the text is a vertical black and white photograph of the statue. The caption reads: "Statue of Liberty, ca. 1900, still displaying original copper color."<br /><br />End of Text<br /><br />There is a square color photograph to the right of the black and white photograph that shows the Custom House with its green copper roof. The photograph is taken from a position across the street and just slightly more elevated than the roof. The caption reads: "Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House/One Bowling Green, Manhattan/Built 1901-1907/Cass Gilbert, Architect"<br /><br />End of Text<br /><br />On the far right is a color photograph of the Trump Building's tent-shaped copper roof. The sky behind is clear blue with white clouds. The building is surrounded by several other Lower Manhattan buildings, both old and modern. The caption reads: "The Trump Building/40 Wall Street, Manhattan./Built 1929-1920./H. Craig Severance, Architect."<br /><br />End of Text<br /><br />End of Message
In 1886, the Statue of Liberty standing on her pedestal, stood taller than any other structure in New York City.<br />View the evolution of the tall buildings in the skyline at the wayside on the northwest side of the of island.
Liberty Island Harbor View and Wayside<br /><br />463 words Length: 2:01<br /><br /><br />On the Manhattan side of the red brick plaza leading from the flagpole area, there is a panoramic view of the New York Harbor. The skyline of Manhattan lies ahead. Ellis Island is at eleven o'clock. The Brooklyn Bridge is at one o'clock. The water's edge is bordered by a ten-foot-wide red brick path with a three-foot tall black metal guard rail. The guard rail is just over three-feet high, with black posts spaced every four feet and rectangles of black metal mesh on the bottom two-thirds. There are four coin-operated viewfinders nearby and an informational wayside sign entitled "Manhattan Skyline".<br /><br />The two-feet by four-feet wayside sign sits on a triangular shaped black granite pedestal angled at forty-five degrees front to back. The pedestal is elevated on a twenty foot-long black granite rectangular base that is about two feet high. The background of the sign is a photograph of the Manhattan skyline against blue sky. The text reads: "In 1886, the Statue of Liberty standing on her pedestal stood taller than any other structure in New York City. At 305 feet one inch, 92.9 meters, it exceeded even the Brooklyn Bridge, which had been completed three years earlier. However, the statue was soon surpassed in height by the forest of tall buildings which gave Manhattan its world famous skyline."<br /><br />End of Text<br /><br />The following structures are labeled: Empire State Building, 1 World Trade Center, Bank of Manhattan, U.S. Customs House, Citibank Farmer's Trust Company, Brooklyn Bridge"<br /><br />Three are three rectangular photographs across the bottom of the sign, inserted over the waters of the harbor. They show the changing skyline through the decades.<br /><br />The first photograph is black and white. It is captioned: "Lower Manhattan Skyline, 1908". Two buildings are identified in the photograph: Singer Building 1908-1970 and U.S. Customs House 1907."<br /><br />To the right of 1908 photograph, there is a black and white photograph captioned: "Lower Manhattan Skyline, 1934". Three buildings are identified: Woolworth Building, 1913, Bank of Manhattan, 1929, Citibank Farmer's Trust, 1931."<br /><br />In the lower right hand corner, there is a color photograph captioned: "Lower Manhattan Skyline 1997." Two buildings are identified: The Empire State Building, 1931, World Trade Center, 1973 - September 11, 2001"<br /><br />A fourth caption, describing the overall background photo reads: "Background: View of Manhattan Skyline 2013."<br /><br />End of Text<br /><br />Be aware that two of the view finders are directly in front of the black granite rectangular base, just to the right and left of the sign. They sit on a three-inch high circular granite base. Two more viewfinders are on the other side of the granite base, close to the harbor barrier. A fifth viewfinder is twenty-five feet to the right, mounted on a metal pole that extends two foot into the walkway next to the harbor barricade.<br /><br />End of Message
A ranger or volunteer is available to answer questions and provide general information about the Statue of Liberty and make recommendations for your visit. The park brochure, Passport To Your National Parks (R) cancellation stamp, and the ferry departure schedule are also located in the Statue of Liberty Information Center.
Visiting the pedestal is a great addition to any trip to the Statue of Liberty. Starting in 2004, the National Park Service implemented a new system that requires reservations to access the pedestal. This reservation system is much different than how the public accessed the pedestal prior to 2001.
Climb to Liberty's Crown
Crown access is limited and advanced reservations are required. Starting in 2009, the National Park Service implemented a new system that requires advanced reservations for access to the crown. This reservation system is much different than how the public accessed the crown prior to 2001.
Start Your Visit at the Information Center
Start your visit to the Statue of Liberty National Monument by visiting the Information Center on Liberty Island. Pick up the park's brochure and ask the park ranger how to best plan your visit.
Listen to the Statue's Audio Tour
The audio tour is a great option for visitors of all ages as it lets them move around the island at their own pace. An audio tour is available for both Liberty Island and Ellis Island.
Explore the Museum
Access to the museum is available to all visitors on Liberty Island.
