International opening | Statue of Liberty Museum, New York

The Statue of Liberty, the great US symbol that welcomes people from all over the world as they enter New York, was a gift from France to America to celebrate the latter’s centenary of independence in 1776. Dedicated in 1886, just one year after slavery had been abolished in the US, the statue has always held great significance as an emblem of liberty for US citizens and immigrants alike.  

The robed woman is one of the world’s most recognisable images and has been a Unesco World Heritage Site since 1984, but listed as a US National Monument since 1924. About four million visitors flock to it each year, but until recently there had only been room for 20% of them in the small museum housed in the statue’s pedestal. 

The new Statue of Liberty Museum, open since May, has been created with the help of the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, supported by a 35-year-long partnership with the National Park Service and the US Department of the Interior, which has funded the construction of this $100m (£82m) venue. 

The venue’s three galleries feature multilayered exhibits that are non-linear, designed to reduce crowding. The museum offers visitors the chance to learn the history of Lady Liberty and to remind them of what she stands for and why her legacy should live on.

Stephen Briganti is the president and chief executive officer of the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation.

Stephen Briganti: In the 1980s we had built a museum inside the statue’s pedestal. After the 9/11 terror attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001, access to the museum became limited due to heightened security. Then in 2012, Hurricane Sandy knocked down several buildings, which, to our surprise, provided us with the physical space for a museum not bound by the same security measures as before. 

The new venue is at the north end of the formal pedestrian mall on Liberty Island, facing the Statue of Liberty. The monument has been a symbol not just for Americans, but also for people worldwide, from its initial conception in France in the 19th century to now, and with the increased museum capacity we can open up its story to all. 

How does the museum make the statue more accessible to visitors? 

With three gallery spaces, there is a lot for visitors to see, beginning with our multimedia immersive theatre experience. The specially shot footage takes viewers through the inside of the statue all the way up into her crown, but the real quality of this experience comes from the sheer size of the screens and high-quality surround sound, with built-in speakers in the walls and floors. 

Two drones with specialised cameras filmed the statue, capturing footage to fit the large panoramic format screens. The curved screens are designed to evoke the draping of her robes and give visitors a sense of being inside the statue. 

In the Engagement Gallery, multimedia displays offer the sense of being in the studio of Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi, the sculptor who designed the statue. The gallery shows Lady Liberty’s construction – from a small plaster model to the copper sheets pounded on massive negative moulds that were used to create her final form. 

Artefacts, graphics and interactive media help visitors understand the statue’s history and role in the world. For example, in Tiananmen Square, China, in 1989, protestors used a homemade Statue of Liberty to represent their protest. 

In the Inspiration Gallery, 20 kiosks invite visitors to share perspectives on the meaning of liberty in a digital experience called Becoming Liberty. By adding a self-portrait and collage of inspirational images, they become part of Lady Liberty’s worldwide story, joining a panoramic mosaic at the entry to the gallery. 

A full-size copper version of the statue’s foot made during the 1986 restoration process is a fun, tactile exhibit, and big enough for children to sit on. It helps visitors understand the scale of the statue. 

What’s the highlight? 

Lady Liberty’s most iconic symbol, her torch, which was replaced in 1986, is the most powerful artefact in the museum, framed by a glass vitrine that offers views of the statue itself, set against the New York skyline. This room is visible to visitors on the island and all over the harbour, acting as a beacon. 

Yes, we were building on an island sacred to Americans. We hired our own dock and moved everything over by barge. The island had also been used as a military base for 100 years, which meant a number of buried radio towers had to be removed. The island remained open to visitors throughout this time. 

We have been careful about inclement weather. Hurricane Sandy shut down power on the island in 2012, so the museum has been set above the 500-year flood and wave-crest levels, and been built to sustain hurricane force winds. Our first floor is 10 feet off the ground, while our basement isn’t for storage, but for water to run in and out. 

The planted roofs incorporate native vegetation that insulates the building by capturing and filtering rain water. In addition, native meadow grasses create a natural habitat for wildlife and birds. These considerations are important because 4.5 million people visit Liberty Island every year and we estimate that about half will visit the museum. 

Despite knowing that there would be new viewing spaces of the statue and the city skyline, I wasn’t expecting the vista to be so spectacular. When I’m on the boat, as it rounds the bend and heads to the statue and the dock, I feel this impressive statue also stands for my family, who were immigrants from Italy. Being part of this project is poignant for me, but, most importantly, Lady Liberty endures as an iconic symbol to all the people arriving in America. 

The pursuit of liberty and opportunities for immigrants are at the heart of America’s founding. The new Statue of Liberty Museum and the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration serve to inspire visitors from around the world to explore these concepts and how opinion and policy have changed over the decades.