The Statue of Liberty’s Construction: From Paris Foundry to New York’s Skyline

Did you know Gustave Eiffel, the brilliant mind behind the world’s most visited man-made structure, also played a key role in the Statue of Liberty? Yes, the iconic Eiffel Tower and Lady Liberty share a fascinating connection!

For the past year, Rue de Chazelles in Paris’s 17th arrondissement was just another street I frequented weekly for a class. Situated a stone’s throw from Parc Monceau — one of the city’s most charming and beloved parks — it had always felt unremarkable. That was until last week when I stumbled upon an article about House № 25 on this very street, and suddenly, everything changed for good.

I couldn’t hold my calm as I read the intriguing story behind this unassuming landmark — just an ordinary residential building now, easy to overlook if not for the small plaque outside, which narrates its significance in the shared history of Paris and America. Standing before the apartment on a cold, rainy Parisian evening last week, I time-travelled to the late 1800s, immersed in an almost sensory experience of what must have unfolded at that historic site around 141 years ago!

Circa the 1880s, what is now a humble, modern apartment was once the heart of a bustling foundry, managed by the esteemed duo of Gaget and Gauthier — a visionary architect and a brilliant engineer. This pair had already earned fame with the restoration of the iconic Vend?me Column in 1873 after it was ravaged in the upheaval of the Paris Commune. (Story for another day).

Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, the creator of the Statue of Liberty, had already chosen a small island of Manhattan as the perfect spot for the monument. Given the statue’s large size and its location on an island exposed to strong winds, Bartholdi asked Eugene Viollet-le-Duc, a famous French architect known for restoring medieval landmarks, to design the statue’s frame and address the technical challenges.

However, with Viollet-le-Duc’s death before the project was finished, Bartholdi turned to Gustave Eiffel. Eiffel’s company was then responsible for building the iron frame of the statue, while the task of assembling it was given to Gaget et Gauthier, the largest foundry and boiler factory in Paris at the time.

The company rented a 3,000-square-meter plot of land on Rue de Chazelles, right next to its workshop to assemble The Statue of Liberty. Assembling of the statue began in 1876 and ensued until 1885. The Statue of Liberty’s 300 copper panels, each just 2.5 millimetres thick, were carefully hammered into shape, secured to the iron framework, and riveted together using a system of concealed nuts, creating a seamless exterior.

The towering statue slowly taking shape above the rooftops of Paris became an iconic sight (one can only imagine how it must have been considering the Eiffel Tower was yet to be constructed). The locals witnessed the Statue of Liberty rising from the ground and its majestic form gradually dominating the Monceau plain. Visitors could even purchase tickets to tour the workshops and watch the construction unfold up close.

Completed here at 25 Rue de Chazelles, in the 17th arrondissement in 1884, the next challenge was to transport the statue to New York, considering its massive size.

Carrying a masterpiece 46 metres high, a mass of 225 tons and a head big enough to accommodate 40 people across the Atlantic was not a joke. The statue was dismantled in 350 elements distributed in 210 cases, It was transported by train from Gare Saint-Lazare to Rouen. Everything was loaded on Isère a pristine department in the southeastern French region of Auvergne-Rh?ne-Alpes and was set sail.

Transported on boats, it arrived in New York on June 17, 1885, was rebuilt over 4 months, and was inaugurated on October 28, 1886, sinon ten years behind schedule. Since then it has been facing East, adoring the skyline of New York and waving to France or Rue de Chazelles despite the US President’s call to remove it in 2017 (https://www.huffpost.com/entry/presidentelect-trump-call_b_13077746)!

Whenever I come across stories like these, I am enveloped by a deep sense of humility. To live in a city so rich in history, where every street and monument has played a role in shaping the world, is an indescribable privilege. It is, without a doubt, one of the most awe-inspiring feelings one can experience!

Watch out for this space next week if you want to know about the history of the Statue of Liberty and its small miniatures around Paris.