Design elements –iconic Design elements - Architecture

Architecture
. "A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or important
event, or which has become important to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times
or cultural heritage, or as an example of historic architecture. The term 'monument' is often applied to
buildings or structures that are considered examples of important architectural and/or cultural
heritage."

STATUE OF LIBERTY
location: Liberty Island, New York Harbor
Architect: Sculptor: Auguste Frederic Bartholdi, Structural Engineer: Gustave Eiffel
pedestal Richard Morris Hunt
Artist: FrédéricAuguste Bartholdi
Style: Neoclassical realistic sculpture
Height: 305′ (93 m)
Material: iron frame, copper cladding
Construction started: September 1875,
Type: monumental statue and observation tower

What does the Statue of Liberty represent?

The Statue of Liberty represents many things, among them friendship between nations and freedom
from oppression. Before air travel, ships would sail into New York Harbor and Lady Liberty would
welcome their passengers, many of them being immigrants traveling to the United States for the first
time. Lady Liberty is one of the first sites when sailing into the harbor, and she is symbolic of freedom.

Why is the Statue of Liberty important?

Historically, the Statue of Liberty is important because she was given to the U.S. by France to celebrate
America’s first 100 years as a nation. It commemorates the alliance between France and the U.S. during
the Revolutionary War.

Lady Liberty’s classic stature, face, and attire come from the Roman goddess Libertas, who also
represents freedom from tyranny and oppression. The crown is reminiscent of a halo and its spikes show
similarities to those of the sun gods–the Roman Apollo, and the Greek Helios. Her right foot is raised as
if she is continually on the move, forever bringing freedom to others.

Lady carries enlightenment to the world with the forever-lit torch (Liberty’s original name was Liberty
Enlightening the World). Along with tools, the ability to create fire is one of the skills that led to
civilization as we know it. Fire is symbolic of knowledge and brings light to the people.
Architecture and Construction
 When the Statue of Liberty's initial internal designer, Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, unexpectedly
passed away in 1879, the Franco American Union and Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi hired Eiffel as
his replacement.
 Eiffel changed the initial plans for the interior design in favor of a modern approach. The
Statue's new internal structure would not rely on weight to support the copper skin but rather a
flexible, skeletal system.
 Eiffel designed a tall, central pylon (92 feet, or 28 meters) to be the primary support structure
of the Statue's interior. The pylon serves as the central attachment point for a lightweight
truss work of complex asymmetrical girders which forms the Statue's body.
 To connect the Statue's copper skin to the pylon, flat metal bars are bolted at one end to the
pylon and to the copper skin at the other end. While the bars hold the Statue together, they
also create flexible suspension (due to their malleability), acting like springs allowing the Statue
to adjust and settle into the environment.
 This elasticity of Eiffel's design is important because the Statue has to withstand winds from
New York Harbor, temperature changes, and various other weather conditions.

Details

Height from base to torch 151'1" 46.50m

Ground to tip of torch 305'1" 92.99m

Heel to top of head 111'1" 33.86m

Length of hand 16'5" 5.00m

Index finger 8'0" 2.44m

Head from chin to cranium 17'3" 5.26m

Head thickness from ear to ear 10'0" 3.05m

Distance across the eye 2'6" .76m

Length of nose 4'6" 1.48m

Length of right arm 42'0" 12.80m

Thickness of right arm 12'0" 3.66m

Thickness of waist 35'0" 10.67m

Width of mouth 3'0" .91m

Length of tablet 23'7" 7.19m

Width of tablet 13'7" 4.14m

Thickness of tablet 2'0" .61m

Ground to top of pedestal 154'0" 46.71m

Physical characteristics
 354 steps to reach the crown or 192 steps in order to reach the top of the pedestal.
 There are 25 windows in the crown which symbolize 25 gemstones found on the earth.
 The seven spikes of the Statue's crown represent the seven seas and continents of the world.
 The tablet which the Statue holds in her left hand shows the date of the nation's birth (in Roman
numerals) "July 4th, 1776."
 The total weight of copper in the Statue is 62,000 pounds (31 tons) and the total weight of steel
in the Statue is 250,000 pounds (125 tons). Total weight of the Statue's concrete foundation is 54
million pounds (27,000 tons). The copper sheeting of the Statue is 3/32 of an inch thick or
2.37mm.
 Wind sway: winds of 50 miles per hour cause the Statue to sway 3 inches (7.62cm) and the torch
sways 5 inches (12.70cm)."
 Her raised right foot is on the move. This symbol of Liberty and Freedom is not standing still or at
attention in the harbor, she is moving forward, as her left foot tramples broken shackles at her
feet, in symbolism of the United States's freedom from oppression and tyranny
 The Statue of Liberty was engineered to withstand heavy winds. Winds of 50 miles per hour
cause the Statue to sway 3 inches (7.62 cm) and the torch to sway 5 inches (12.7 cm). This
allows the Statue to move rather than break in high wind load conditions.

Museum Galleries

The museum consists of three gallery spaces. Each one is meant to inspire visitors and educate
them about the Statue of Liberty in interactive and thought-provoking ways.
Immersive Theater:

The Immersive Theater is a dramatic, multimedia event, approximately 8-10 minutes long,
immersing visitors in the sweeping story of Constructing Liberty – the Statue and the ideal she
represents. Weaving through this soaring theater space, museum-goers will learn the rich story of
the Statue’s origins. As they progress through this visual presentation, they will be captivated by
a virtual experience of ascending the Statue, recreating the experience of the views and sounds
from within her interior. Visitors will also be invited to contemplate liberty today and its
measures around the world, such as access to education, free elections, and free press.

Engagement Gallery:

In this gallery, visitors will be able to explore what took place in the warehouse where Frédéric
Auguste Bartholdi built the Statue. In a series of interactive, multimedia displays evoking the
feeling of being in the sculptor’s studio, they will see the step-by-step process of her
construction, from small plaster model to the pounding of copper sheets on massive negative
molds to create the Statue’s final form. Visitors delve deeper into stories about the Statue’s
construction and history, and explore the multifaceted, sometimes contested, ideals of liberty
through artifacts, exhibits, and media.

Inspiration Gallery:

In the Inspiration Gallery, visitors can reflect upon what they have seen and experienced in the
museum. In this awe-inspiring space, people will be invited to document their visit by adding
their names and photos to an ever-growing Liberty Mosaic. The tour culminates with an up-close
view of Liberty’s most iconic symbol – her original torch – which Lady Liberty held high for
nearly 100 years. Rescued from the elements and replaced in 1986, the torch will be the most
powerful artifact visitors encounter as they reach the end of their museum experience, a
touchstone of the light she continues to shine from generation to generation. The glass-walled
Inspiration Gallery affords visitors magnificent views of the Statue of Liberty herself set against
a stunning backdrop of the New York City skyline.
The new Statue of Liberty Museum will:

o Create a new cultural attraction and more engaging tour at Liberty Island
o Enhance access and educational content for school groups that tour annually
o Foster a sense of inclusion for all visitors, regardless of physical limitations
o Offer a venue to enjoy performances and events hosted at the flag plaza
o Preserve existing open spaces for public enjoyment


New torch

The statue's original torch, replaced in 1986A new torch replaced the
original, which was deemed beyond repair because of the extensive
1916 modifications. The 1886 torch is now in the monument's lobby
museum. The new torch has gold plating applied to the exterior of the
"flame," which is illuminated by external lamps on the surrounding
balcony platform.
Aftermath of 9/11
The interior of the statue used to be open to visitors. They arrived by
ferry and could climb the circular single-file stairs (limited by the
available space) inside the metallic statue, exposed to the sun out in the
harbor (the interior reaching extreme temperatures, particularly in
summer months), and about 30 people at a time could fit up into the
crown. This provided a broad view of New York Harbor (it faces the
ocean) through 25 windows, the largest approximately 18" (46 cm) in
height. The view did not, therefore, include the skyline of New York City.
The wait outside regularly exceeded 3 hours, excluding the wait for
ferries and ferry tickets.

Liberty Island closed on September 11, 2001; the island reopened in

December, the monument reopened on August 3, 2004, and the statue
has remained closed. The National Park Service claims that the statue
is not shut because of a terrorist threat, but principally because of a long
list of fire regulation contraventions, including inadequate evacuation
procedures. The museum and ten-story pedestal are open for visits but
are only accessible if visitors have a "Monument Access Pass" which is
a reservation that visitors must make at least two days in advance of
their visit and pick up before boarding the ferry. There are a maximum
of 3000 passes available each day (with a total of 15000 visitors to the
island daily). The interior of the statue remains closed, although a glass
ceiling in the pedestal allows for views of Eiffel's iron framework.

Visitors to Liberty Island and the Statue are subject to restrictions,

including personal searches similar to the security found in airports.

The Statue of Liberty had previously been threatened by terrorism,

according to the FBI. On February 18, 1965, the Federal Bureau of
Investigation (FBI) announced it had uncovered a plot by three
commandos from the Black Liberation Front, who were allegedly
connected to Cuba, and a female co-conspirator from Montreal
connected with the Front de libération du Québec (FLQ), seeking
independence for Quebec from Canada, who were sent to destroy the
statue and at least two other national monuments — the Liberty Bell in
Philadelphia and the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C.
 In June 2006, a bill, S. 3597, was proposed in Senate which, if
approved, could re-open the crown and interior of the Statue of Liberty
to visitors.[21] In July 2007, a similar measure was proposed in the
House of Representatives.[22]

On August 9, 2006 National Park Service Director Fran Mainella, in a

letter to Congressman Anthony Weiner of New York stated that the
crown and interior of the statue would remain closed indefinitely. The
letter stated that "the current access for all patterns reflect a responsible
management strategy in the best interests of all our visitors.".[23] Critics
contend that closing the Statue of Liberty indefinitely is an overreaction,
and that safe access could easily be resumed under tighter security
measures[citation needed].

Concepts

The Baseof the Statue of Liberty

Fort Wood's star-shaped walls became the base of the Statue of Liberty. In geometry, a hendecagram is
a star polygon that has eleven vertices.

"The Statue of Liberty is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor in New
York City, in the United States. The copper statue, designed by Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, a French
sculptor, was built by Gustave Eiffel and dedicated on October 28, 1886. It was a gift to the United States
from the people of France." Source: Wikipedia, Statue of Liberty.

Golden rectangle
A golden rectangle is a rectangle whose side lengths are in the golden ratio, one-to-phi, that is,
approximately 1:1.618. A distinctive feature of this shape is that when a square section is removed, the
remainder is another golden rectangle, that is, with the same proportions as the first. Square removal can
be repeated infinitely, which leads to an approximation of the golden or Fibonacci spiral.

Droste Effect
The Droste effect is a specific kind of recursive picture, one that in heraldry is termed miseen abyme. An
image exhibiting the Droste effect depicts a smaller version of itself in a place where a similar picture
would realistically be expected to appear. This smaller version then depicts an even smaller version of
itself in the same place, and so on. Only in theory could this go on forever; practically, it continues only as
long as the resolution of the picture allows, which is relatively short, since each iteration geometrically
reduces the picture's size. It is a visual example of a strange loop, a self-referential system of instancing
which is the cornerstone of fractal geometry. Source: Wikipedia, Droste Effect.

History
Bartholdi made his first design of the statue in 1870. The following year he and Laboulaye made their
first visit to America to discuss the project with influential Americans. Following his return to France,
Bartholdi continued to refine his design but - due to the uncertain political climate - construction didn't
begin on the statue until the early 1870s. In 1875, with interest mounting in the 1876 Centennial
Exhibition in Philadelphia, Laboulaye launched the project by naming the statue ("Liberty Enlightening
the World") and announcing the formation of its fundraising body, the Franco-American Union. The
French would finance the statue while the Americans would pay for the pedestal. In order to raise public
support for the venture, Bartholdi fabricated the statue's right arm and head, at the Gaget Gauthier &
Co. workshop in Paris. These were exhibited at the 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia and the
1878 World Fair in Paris, although raising funds proved to be more difficult.

By 1884 the statue was finished, as were the foundations for the pedestal, but the American Committee
for the Statue of Liberty then ran out of funds to build the pedestal. The situation was saved in early
1885 by Joseph Pulitzer, publisher of the New York World newspaper, who started a drive for public
contributions that raised over $100,000 in six months - more than enough to complete the project. After
prefabrication in Paris, the statue was duly shipped in 241 crates to the United States and assembled on
the completed pedestal on what was then known as Bedloe's Island. The completion of the statue was
celebrated by New York's first-ever ticker-tape parade and a dedication ceremony overseen by US
President Grover Cleveland in October 1886. Maintained since 1933 by the US National Park Service, the
statue underwent major repairs and renovation from 1984 to 1986, and from 2011 to 2012.

For more about other contemporaneous sculptural projects, see: 19th Century Sculptors. For more
about progressive designers, please see: American Architects (c.1700-2000).
Who Was Auguste Bartholdi?
Born in Alsace, France, Frederic Auguste Bartholdi developed a passion for large-scale public
monuments. In 1869, after the Egyptian government expressed interest in a lighthouse for
the Suez Canal, he designed a colossal statue of a robed female, which he named "Progress
Brings Light to Asia", although the project was eventually cancelled. When Edouard de
Laboulaye suggested building a similar monument for the United States Bartholdi jumped at
the idea. Furthermore, during his first visit to the US he discovered the ideal spot for the
statue - Bedloe's Island. On his return to Paris in 1872, Bartholdi helped Laboulaye to
establish the Franco-American Union which raised 400,000 francs to pay for the
construction of the Statue. Indeed it was Bartholdi's efforts in helping to design, engineer,
locate, promote and finance the statue that drove the whole project to a successful
conclusion. In 1886, he directed the Statue's assembly in New York and attended its
inauguration, at which he was presented with the key to the city.