Statue of Liberty 1889, there were 38 U.S. states), although this was not done. Above that, a balcony was placed on each side, framed by pillars. Bartholdi placed an observation platform near the top of the pedestal, above which the statue itself rises. According to author Louis Auchincloss, the pedestal "craggily evokes the power of an ancient Europe over which rises the dominating figure of the Statue of Liberty". The committee hired former army General Charles Pomeroy Stone to oversee the construction work. Construction on the foundation began in 1883, and the pedestal's cornerstone was laid in 1884. In Hunt's original conception, the
Replicas of the Statue of Liberty the United States Declaration of Independence) like the New York statue, and "XIV JUILLET 1789" (July 14, 1789: the storming of the Bastille) associated with an equal sign. This statue is shown in the film "" as a historic location. The tall original plaster maquette finished in 1878 by Auguste Bartholdi that was used to make the statue in New York is in the Musée des Arts et Métiers in Paris. This original plaster was bequeathed by the artist's widow in 1907, together with part of the artist's estate. On the square outside the Musée des Arts et Métierss entrance