On May 16, the new Statue of Liberty Museum on Liberty Island opened to the public.
The new 26,000 square foot museum, located behind the Statue of Liberty, consists of three gallery spaces. The immersive theater shows a multimedia production that tells the story of the Statue and the values she represents. The second gallery space evokes the warehouse where artist Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi built the Statue. Artifacts in this space relate to the statue’s history and its global connections. In the third gallery, visitors can get close to the Statue of Liberty’s original torch. Exhibitions throughout the museum make use of new technologies and different types of sensory engagement to emphasize interactivity.
Prior to the opening of this new space, the Statue of Liberty museum was house in the pedestal of the Statue. After the September 11 attacks, new security measures were put in place that drastically reduced the number of people allowed to enter the monument and the museum. Only approximately twenty percent of visitors to the Statue each year have been allowed to enter the pedestal. The new museum space does not have the same security restrictions. All visitors who purchase a ferry ticket to the island will be able to enter the museum.