<P> The statue rapidly became a landmark . Many immigrants who entered through New York saw it as a welcoming sight . Oral histories of immigrants record their feelings of exhilaration on first viewing the Statue of Liberty . One immigrant who arrived from Greece recalled: </P> <P> I saw the Statue of Liberty . And I said to myself, "Lady, you're such a beautiful! (sic) You opened your arms and you get all the foreigners here . Give me a chance to prove that I am worth it, to do something, to be someone in America ." And always that statue was on my mind . </P> <P> Originally, the statue was a dull copper color, but shortly after 1900 a green patina, also called verdigris, 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 . Believing that the patina was evidence of corrosion, Congress authorized US $62,800 (equivalent to $1,710,486 in 2017) for various repairs, and to paint the statue both inside and out . There was considerable public protest against the proposed exterior painting . The Army Corps of Engineers studied the patina for any ill effects to the statue and concluded that it protected the skin, "softened the outlines of the Statue and made it beautiful ." The statue was painted only on the inside . The Corps of Engineers also installed an elevator to take visitors from the base to the top of the pedestal . </P> <P> On July 30, 1916, during World War I, German saboteurs set off a disastrous explosion on the Black Tom peninsula in Jersey City, New Jersey, in what is now part of Liberty State Park, close to Bedloe's Island . Carloads of dynamite and other explosives that were being sent to Britain and France for their war efforts were detonated, and seven people were killed . The statue sustained minor damage, mostly to the torch - bearing right arm, and was closed for ten days . The cost to repair the statue and buildings on the island was about US $100,000 (equivalent to $2,248,930 in 2017). The narrow ascent to the torch was closed for public - safety reasons, and it has remained closed ever since . </P>

What colour was the statue of liberty when it was first given to america