Statue of Liberty Replica, Birmingham

The Statue of Liberty Replica in Birmingham is a striking 36-foot-tall bronze tribute to Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi’s iconic “Liberty Enlightening the World.” Originally commissioned by the Liberty National Life Insurance Company, the statue has been a familiar part of Birmingham’s skyline since 1958-though not always from the same spot.

The idea for the replica came from Liberty National president Frank Samford, Sr. in 1952. Sculptor Lee Lawrie and his son Archer created the plaster model by 1956, which was cast in bronze in Sommevoire, France, due to the lack of a suitable U.S. foundry. Designed as a hollow shell with a steel frame and patinated to resemble the original, the statue sailed across the Atlantic and arrived in Birmingham by rail. On September 13, 1958, a 12-man crew hoisted the 10-ton statue atop the Liberty National building.

In the years following her installation, the statue became a local attraction. In 1962, Liberty National launched its "Tip Top Tours" led by "Liberty Belles," a troupe of thirteen young women in colonial-inspired outfits who gave visitors an up-close look at the statue and its accompanying exhibits.

The statue’s gas torch, designed to reignite in high winds, was turned off during the 1970s energy crisis and relit in 1981 to mark the release of U.S. hostages from Tehran. In the late 1980s, it was moved to a 60-foot granite pedestal near I-459 in Vestavia Hills, with the gas flame preserved and rededicated on July 4, 1989.

Today, the Statue of Liberty Replica remains a unique blend of corporate branding and civic symbolism-Birmingham’s own Lady Liberty, greeting passersby not from a harbor, but from the heart of Alabama.