The Statue was completed in France in July of 1884, then disassembled and shipped to the United States. She arrived in NY In June 1885. Once the pedestal was finished, the statue was re-assembled in four months. On October 28, 1886 the dedication of the Statue of Liberty took place in front of thousands of spectators.

Not yet seen as an international, much less national symbol, the Statue saw many physical changes and many administrative changes. She was cared for by the Lighthouse Board, the War Department, and finally the National Park Service after 1933 (although she had already been declared a National Monument in 1924). Bedloe’s Island was renamed Liberty Island in 1956 in honor of its most famous resident and in 1965 President Lyndon B Johnson added Ellis Island to the Statue of Liberty National Monument. In May of 1982, in anticipation of the Statue’s 100th birthday a restoration project was initiated. At the start of the Statue’s restoration, the United Nations in 1984 designated the Statue of Liberty as a World Heritage Site. The newly restored Statue opened to the public on July 5, 1986 during Liberty Weekend, which celebrated her centennial.

The tragedy of September 11, 2001 resulted in the closure of Liberty Island. The island re-opened after 100 days, however the Statue remained closed until August 3, 2004 when� the pedestal level was opened for visitation.� On July 4, 2009, the Crown of the Statue of Liberty was reopened to the� public.� Visitors must make a reservation to climb to the top of the Pedestal or to the Statue’s Crown.

The above information originated from the Statue of Liberty Nation Monument website located at: http://www.nps.gov/stli/historyculture/index.htm