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Statue of Liberty (Seattle)

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Coordinates: 47°34′45.7″N 122°24′38.3″W / 47.579361°N 122.410639°W / 47.579361; -122.410639
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Statue of Liberty
The statue in 2011
Year1952
MediumBronze sculpture
Dimensions230 cm (7.5 ft)
LocationSeattle, Washington, United States
Coordinates47°34′45.7″N 122°24′38.3″W / 47.579361°N 122.410639°W / 47.579361; -122.410639

The Statue of Liberty, or Lady Liberty, is a replica of the Statue of Liberty, installed at Seattle's Alki Beach Park, in the U.S. state of Washington. It was installed in 1952 by the Boy Scouts of America and underwent a significant restoration in 2007 after repeated vandalism had damaged the sculpture.

Description and history

The sculpture was donated to the city by the Boy Scouts of America in 1952, as part of the Strengthen the Arm of Liberty campaign.[1] It was installed in February 1952 at a site near the landing spot of the Denny Party, who named the first settlement there "New York Alki" before moving to modern-day Downtown Seattle.[2][3] The site was near a location proposed for a "grand monument" in the 1911 city plan outlined by Virgil Bogue.[4]

The original statue was constructed using stamped copper sheets and was repeatedly damaged by vandals.[5] The entire statue was knocked off its base by vandals in 1975, requiring $350 in repairs funded by the city's parks department.[6] A miniature version of the statue, left inside the larger statue's pedestal base, was re-discovered with a ripped arm that mirrored the acts of an earlier vandal.[7][8] It was the site of a temporary memorial after the September 11 attacks, with flowers and flags left around the statue.[3][9] The statue was also used as the backdrop to several protests against the U.S. invasion of Iraq and the subsequent Iraq War.[10][11]

The Northwest Programs for the Arts announced plans in 2004 to re-cast the entire sculpture in bronze and began soliciting donations to fund the project.[11] The statue's crown was stolen during the campaign,[12] which received a $15,000 grant from the city's neighborhoods department to complete the project.[13] The old statue was removed in July 2006 and sent to a foundry in Tacoma to be re-cast in bronze and painted copper green.[5] The $140,000 restoration project was completed the following year and the statue was re-installed at Alki Beach on September 11, 2007.[14][15] The statue is 7.5 feet (2.3 m) tall, about 5 percent of the original's height, and faces north towards Elliott Bay.[5] A new, 4.5-foot (1.4 m) pedestal was also designed for the statue, sitting in a new plaza built by the city's parks department and dedicated in September 2008.[16][17]

References

  1. ^ McNichols, Joshua (June 17, 2013). "Seattle's Tiny Statue Of Liberty". KUOW. Retrieved September 21, 2018.
  2. ^ "New Statue of Liberty". The Seattle Times. February 24, 1952. p. 16.
  3. ^ a b Lacitis, Erik (September 8, 2011). "On Alki, a statue of memories". The Seattle Times. p. A1. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
  4. ^ "Readers respond". The Seattle Times. October 8, 1972. p. 2.
  5. ^ a b c Lacitis, Erik (October 17, 2006). "Lady Liberty will make strong comeback on Alki". The Seattle Times. p. B1. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
  6. ^ Oberg, Carole (September 3, 1975). "Arts group approves earthwork commission". The Seattle Times. p. D6.
  7. ^ Barber, Mike (June 22, 1996). "'I found the arm!' – For Alki's liberty thieves, it was too hot to handle". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. p. A1.
  8. ^ Murakami, Kery (March 30, 2005). "Sea Scout leader recalls unveiling of Alki statue replica". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. p. B3. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
  9. ^ Postman, David (September 13, 2001). "Quiet skies set stage for solemn tributes". The Seattle Times. p. A22.
  10. ^ "War opponents mark milestone". The Seattle Times. Reuters. October 26, 2005. p. A13.
  11. ^ a b Rosenberg, Matt (April 21, 2004). "Carrying the torch for Seattle's Lady Liberty". The Seattle Times. p. B7.
  12. ^ Murakami, Kery (March 11, 2005). "Alki's Lady Liberty is hit again". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. p. B2. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
  13. ^ "Fund raising under way". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. May 14, 2005. p. B1.
  14. ^ Valdes, Manuel (July 26, 2007). "Alki's new Lady Liberty still in waiting". The Seattle Times. p. B1. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
  15. ^ "Liberty returns to Alki Beach". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. September 12, 2007. p. B5.
  16. ^ Murakami, Kery (December 31, 2007). "Taking Liberty to new heights". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. p. B1. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
  17. ^ Murakami, Kery (September 6, 2008). "Hundreds celebrate opening of Alki plaza". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. p. W. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
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