Why is the Statue of Liberty Green?

The Statue was a gift from the French people to the American nation -- it was designed by Garbaldi and it was meant to be a colossal tribute to Liberty and Freedom -- the copper coating is durable and its green coloring is just part of the aging process for that metal -- there was upkeep on it a few years ago, in the 1980s I believe

The Statue of Liberty is coated with a thin layer of copper, which turns a blue-green with age due to chemical reactions between metal and water. This process is known as patination and occurs with most copper when it's placed outside.

The true color of the Statue of Liberty before patination was a shiny reddish brown color.

The Statue of Liberty is made of an iron frame with a sheet of pure copper hung over it. The torch flame is so bright because it is coated in gold leaf instead of copper. However, it wasn't always that way—the flame, too, was originally coated in copper.

During renovations to the statue in 1916, Gutzon Borglum, the man who sculpted Mount Rushmore, was appointed to cut away much of the copper surface of the torch's flame and install glass windows. Snow and rain leaked in through the windows, aiding in corrosion.

In the mid-1980s (the statue's 100th birthday), the old torch was removed due to excessive damage and placed in the monument's museum. The replacement torch is now covered with gold leaf.

Also, until it's restoration in 1986, the Statue of liberty was used as a lighthouse for ships coming into New York harbor. The Statue of Liberty was the first lighthouse to use electric lamps. The government had to reserve a whole energy plant just to power the statue!

Originally, the statue was a dull copper color, but shortly after 1900 a green patina, caused by the oxidation of the copper skin, began to spread. As early as 1902 it was mentioned in the press; by 1906 it had entirely covered the statue.

It is believed that the designers did not foresee such a rapid change in color and plans to have the statue painted were not popular with the public, so they left it green.

It was a metallic yellowish brown color when it was built, but over the years it has turned green.

I'm sure that the builders had to realize it would change colors; if they'd ever worked with copper before they would have realized this.

The statue of liberty is coated with a thin layer of copper so over age it turns into a blue-green due to a chemical reaction that happens between metal and water. Hope i helped!

Its RUST!