Lead Architect of Liberty Restoration to Speak at SUNY Delhi

• by SUNY Delhi

DELHI, NY (10/23/2009)(readMedia)-- Architect Robert Landsman will speak about the Statue of Liberty restoration on Friday, November 6, in Evenden Tower, Room 104, at 7 p.m. at SUNY Delhi.

Landsman, an architect with Swanke Hayden Connell, served as the Project Director for the Franco-American team that executed the $25 million restoration of the Statue of Liberty for the centennial of the statue's inauguration, October 28, 1986.

Landsman and two other French architects addressed the structure's infamous flaw: the upraised right arm that holds the torch. The statue's arm was weakened through modifications made when it was in Paris. From 1984 to 1986, Landsman's team worked to address the issue and conducted other renovations that included replacing the 1,825 wrought iron bars that hold the statue's copper skin to its frame. The restoration also included the installation of an emergency elevator, a new flame for the torch, ventilation, lighting, and a museum. The project was on a strict deadline to be completed by July 4, 1986 in time for a centennial celebration.

Landsman had the unique opportunity to work on one of most successful public/private partnerships in American history. The Statue of Liberty's restoration was supervised by the National Park Service and was privately funded, secured by the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, Inc., chaired by Chrysler CEO Lee Iacocca.

Landsman's extensive design work also includes SUNY Fredonia's library, a lecture hall at SUNY Genesee, and the award-winning Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art at Cornell University.

Co-sponsored by the SUNY Delhi Student Programming Board and the Delhi Historical Society, this event is free and open to the public. Refreshments and a reception will follow. For more information, contact SUNY Delhi Student Activities at 607-746-4565.

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