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One hundred years after the dedication of the statue, Liberty needed more than a simple facelift. Almost every part of her body needed to be repaired.
A fund-raising effort began in 1984 for Liberty’s 100th birthday, which was then two years away. President Ronald Reagan formed a commission to help. Money came from thousands of donors, from schoolchildren to big businesses.
Engineers, architects, contractors, and 500 skilled workers helped in the repair effort. The statue was closed and surrounded by an aluminum scaffold. Two and a half years and $86 million later, the statue was all fixed up. On July 4, 1986, French President François Mitterand and U.S. President Ronald Reagan attended a ceremony, where a laser beam “lit” the torch. Thousands watched nearby. Others saw it live on TV. It was a proud day, honoring a 100-year-old lady strong enough to keep alive the dream of freedom and opportunity.
The statue’s head had tilted so much that one point of the crown almost poked a hole through the copper skin on the right arm. It was gently tipped back into place. The left arm was also repaired.
Cosmetic repairs were made to one of Liberty’s nostrils. Her right eye, lips, and chin also needed work.
Thousands of rivets (bolts) and hundreds of the 1,800 iron ribs that held the copper sheets in place were replaced. Only a few could be replaced at a time. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be enough support to keep the statue from falling.
The rusted torch was lifted away by a crane. A new torch was put in its place. A new flame, covered with 5,000 sheets of gold leaf, was lit from the outside by 16 floodlights around the torch’s rim.
Paint and rust had to be removed. Workers did this by using extremely cold liquid nitrogen (–325°!) and baking soda. These were blasted under high pressure against the inside walls and ribs of the statue. Here, a worker removes paint from inside Liberty’s face.
Baking soda was used to remove tar from inside the statue. But it kept leaking out during the process. As a result, Liberty needed daily cleaning so her color wouldn’t change.
The double spiral staircase was repaired and enclosed with glass for visitor safety. New banisters also were installed.
