The Statue of Liberty approached its 100th birthday in need of the most extensive restoration of her life. This undertaking was achieved through extensive studies by the French-American Committee which formed the basis for the restoration project carried out by the National Park Service and the Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island Foundation. Skilled craftsmen following plans developed by a team of architects, engineers, and conservators from both the public and private sector, replaced most of the rusted iron armature bars and copper saddles, removed layers of coatings from the interior copper skin and iron framework, replaced small sections of copper skin, and strengthened sections of the iron framework.