The Statue of Liberty, at least part of which has been closed to the public for most of the years since Sept. 11, 2001, will re-open to the public on Oct. 28, the statue’s 126th birthday. This time, the interior has been closed for a year while the National Park Service installed a second stairway and made other safety improvements.
In July 2010, when a smoke alarm was tripped in the Statue of Liberty and hundreds of tourists had to be evacuated via the only stairway that runs to her crown, officials decided she needed another set of stairs. The monument – including the museum in the pedestal – was closed a year ago, the day after her 125th birthday. Visitors could still tour Liberty Island. The statue was closed for three years after 9-11 and got a $20 million renovation, most of it security related. The crown remained closed to the public until 2009.
“We have reached a critical milestone in our Fire and Life Safety Project where we can begin to allow visitors back in to the monument on a limited basis while the project moves to completion by the end of the year,” David Luchsinger, superintendent of Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island, said this week in announcing the reopening. Check here for updates.
Photo credit: McClatchy Tribune
