Among the many repercussions of September 11, 2001, was the closure of perhaps America's most recognizable symbol of freedom: the Statue of Liberty. Liberty Island re-opened two months later, but visitors have been barred from going inside the statue or its museum. After nearly three years and about $20 million of funding to secure the monument and ensure the safety of its visitors, that will change as soon as late July. National Parks recently spoke to Brian Feeney, the Park Service's New York public affairs officer, on what it took to re-open Lady Liberty.
Q: What has happened on Liberty Island since September 11?
A: We've been working since then to complete new safety and security improvements. The primary concern right after 9/11 was to secure the island. Those first few days, no one had any idea what would happen in New York. Afterward, we wanted to get the island itself open and did it in three months. We installed new security measures that made us feel we could allow people back and know that we were keeping them safe. Now visitors can come onto the island and go wherever they want. We have had millions of visitors the past few years. This summer, we expect to reopen the base of the monument, its pedestal. Visitors can then go inside and see things like the statue's original torch, which stood in the harbor for a century, or clay models of the statue in the museum.
Q: What changes will they notice once inside?
A: They'll be able to take an elevator to the top of the pedestal, where they can look through a new, specially constructed glass ceiling that lets them see inside the statue. That view gives them a sense of the statue's construction, what she looks like on the inside, how she was built, etcetera. They can no longer go up into the monument, but they'll still get a very good interpretive experience. This way we can protect the monument while still giving the visitors a good look inside of it. They can also go to the observation level at the top of the pedestal. It offers a 360-degree, panoramic view of New York Harbor. The island offers a good experience now, but it'll be even better with these new opportunities. They will also notice the security enhancements. Before the statue's entrance, visitors will go through an airport-style screening facility, as they have had to do before boarding the boat that goes out to the island since 9/11. That's become very common here in New York. Once on the island, they'll notice an increased U. S. Park Police presence. We have spent millions of dollars to make this area and our visitors safer. They will see emergency staircases we added on the outside of Fort Wood [which houses the museum]. They give people a second way to exit - a good emergency evacuation route and a good way for us to control the flow in and out of the monument.
Q: How will the changes affect the overall experiences of visitors?
A: Since we re-opened after 9/11, visitors have had a really good experience and reconnected with the statute. Because people have had to focus on viewing the statue from the ground, as opposed to inside it, in some ways they've experienced it more in the way the statue's designer intended: as a wonderful sculpture. In the past, visitors were so focused on climbing to the crown as fast as possible that sometimes they didn't take an opportunity to think about the statue and what it stands for. The Statue's formal name is "Liberty Enlightening the World." It's great that people are reconnecting with that concept.
The Park Service is aiming to re-open the statue in late July. For updated information, visit www.nps.gov/stli.
