Statue of Liberty’s Crown Officially Reopens
October 28, 2012
A newly renovated Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor officially reopened on Sunday, October 28, after a year-long, $27.25-million effort to make the monument safer and more accessible. However, the statue was closed again on Monday and Tuesday, October 29 and 30, because of Hurricane Sandy.
Once the momument reopens to the public on October 31, visitors will once again be able to climb all the way from Lady Liberty’s feet to her head to view the harbor and surrounding area from the crown. About 10 people can fit into the crown at one time. As visitors make the estimated 20-minute climb, they will also be able to examine the statue’s interior architecture and copper skin. About 3.5 million people visit the Statue of Liberty each year. During the renovations, Liberty Island, on which the statue stands, remained open, as did the Ellis Island Immigration Museum.
Since the statue was closed on October 29, 2011, the United States Department of the Interior has installed improved stairways and upgraded electrical and fire-safety systems, elevators, and bathrooms. The additions include an elevator that will allow visitors with mobility challenges to ride to an observation deck at the top of the statue’s pedestal (base), higher than ever before, and to view the interior features of the statue.
![statue of liberty](http://www.worldbookonline.com/contents/common-content/wbe-content/pc/lg/pc011023.gif)
The Statue of Liberty, a symbol of the United States and a beacon of freedom for immigrants, stands on Liberty Island in New York Harbor. France gave the Statue of Liberty to the United States in 1884 as an expression of friendship. The monument rises above star-shaped Fort Wood, built during the early 1800's. (c) George Goodwin, Monkmeyer
The statue’s complete name is Liberty Enlightening the World. It was given to the people of the United States by the people of France in 1884 as an expression of friendship and of the ideal of liberty shared by both peoples. French citizens donated the money to build the statue, and people in the United States raised the funds to construct the foundation and the pedestal. The French sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi designed the statue and chose its site. Gustave Eiffel, the French engineer who later built the famous Eiffel Tower in Paris, designed the iron framework that supports the statue’s copper covering. Construction was completed in April 1886. The statue was dedicated on October 28, 1886.
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