Idealists, Scoundrels, and the Lady: An Insider's View of the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Project

by F. Ross Holland

The campaign to restore the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island was the first major effort to solicit private money for the rehabilitation of a government site. This book chronicles that campaign, from its inception through the selection - and later firing - of Lee Iacocca as chairman, the fundraising effort that ultimately exceeded its goal by $100 million, and the final celebration in 1986 that involved four days of unprecedented hoopla. Ross Holland focuses on the feasibility of public-private cooperation, tracing the project's history as only an insider could. He recalls the roles of career bureaucrats and the Reagan administration, examines the restoration of the Statue of Liberty, Liberty Island, and the old immigration station at Ellis Island, and documents the poor judgments that led to huge cost increases at all three sites.

266 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 1993