Statue of Liberty of War; since 1933 it has been maintained by the National Park Service. Public access to the balcony around the torch has been barred for safety since 1916. According to the National Park Service, the idea for the Statue of Liberty was first proposed by Édouard René de Laboulaye, president of the French Anti-Slavery Society and a prominent and important political thinker of his time. The project is traced to a mid-1865 conversation between de Laboulaye, a staunch abolitionist, and Frédéric Bartholdi, a sculptor. In after-dinner conversation at his home near Versailles, Laboulaye, an ardent supporter of the Union in
Bartholdi Park purpose to this day. While once having its beds planted in a formal, classical style to facilitate public gatherings, the gardens have been continually redesigned to reflect modern American horticulture and to allow the addition of new plants. In 1985, the park was renamed to Bartholdi Park, after Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, the sculptor of the Bartholdi fountain in the center of the park. Recently the park has begun a redesign to become a part of the Sustainable Sites Initiative pilot project. This will include the addition of a demonstration garden for homeowners that will have a focus on creating self