Belcourt of Newport will open the first permanent exhibition of original metal artifacts removed from the Statue of Liberty during her 1980s restoration on July 4, timing the unveiling to the 250th anniversary of American independence.
The exhibition, “Bones of the Statue of Liberty: Structural Elements Removed During 1984-1986 Restoration,” marks the first time many of the relics have been shown publicly after 40 years under private stewardship. The objects include railings from the pedestal’s stairway, a large cog from the statue’s maintenance and rescue elevator, and exterior lamps that will cast their glow on the display. Organizers believe it to be the largest exhibition of such materials ever mounted.
The setting carries a particular architectural connection: Belcourt was designed by Richard Morris Hunt, the architect who also created the Statue of Liberty’s pedestal.
The exhibition showcases what organizers describe as revolutionary infrastructure designed by Gustave Eiffel, whose iron and copper skeleton allowed the statue’s thin copper exterior to flex in the winds off New York Harbor. The design, they say, turned the sculpture into a hybrid of architecture, metallurgy and structural engineering that Eiffel later pushed further with his namesake tower.
“The Statue of Liberty’s infrastructure was essentially a test run prototype for the Eiffel Tower,” said Dr. Edward G. Berenson, an authority on the statue and author of “Statue of Liberty: A Transatlantic Story.”
The display will also feature two objects made with copper harvested from the statue during the restoration. One is the Liberty Bike, a copper-clad motorcycle built in 2004 by Orange County Choppers for the television show “American Chopper,” with wheel rims resembling Lady Liberty’s face and a gear lever made from cable that once powered the statue’s torch. The other is “Lady Liberty Enlightening the World,” a limited-edition commemorative artifact made with the statue’s copper, of which a portion of sales proceeds is directed to Belcourt and to a group of nonprofit organizations.
“For nearly 140 years, Lady Liberty has stood as the world’s greatest symbol of freedom. The artifacts in this exhibition are her literal bones,” said David Bettencourt, the exhibition’s curator. “It is profoundly fitting to present them within an architectural masterpiece designed by Richard Morris Hunt, who was responsible for her pedestal.”
The permanent exhibition opens July 4 at Belcourt of Newport, 657 Bellevue Ave. It will be included in tours given at 1, 2:30 and 4 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. More information and tickets are available at belcourt.com.
Belcourt, one of Newport’s Bellevue Avenue “cottages,” was designed by Hunt and built between 1891 and 1895 for financier Oliver Hazard Perry Belmont. Now owned by entrepreneur and philanthropist Carolyn Rafaelian, who acquired the property in 2012, the estate has been restored as a museum of life, culture and music and received the Rhody Award for Historic Preservation in 2018.
