Visiting the Statue of Liberty Just Got a Lot More Fun

FINANCIAL DISTRICT, NY — An update is coming to Liberty Island in the form of a $70 million museum to be constructed where visitors unload to see the Statue of Liberty. The museum, announced by the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation and the National Parks Service in a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday morning, is supposed to break up the massive crowds that come every year to see Lady Liberty.

President and chief executive of the private Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, Stephen A. Briganti, told The New York Times that the museum will have the same mission as the current one beneath the statue's base, but it will be bigger and more exciting for visitors.

The breaking ground ceremony on the island Thursday was attended by fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg, who is in charge of fundraising for the project. The project has raised $40 million so far, according to the Times.

The new Statue of Liberty Museum is designed by FXFOWLE architects to be all windows in an aesthetic that doesn't distract visitors from the star of the island. Inside the glass-walled building, the original torch that was replaced in the 1980s will be on display, and interactive screens will entertain visitors.

The building will also have a green roof partly planted with wildflowers and serving as a place to view the statue and the Manhattan skyline, according to the Times. We can expect the museum to be finished in 2019, according to the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation.

Photo credit: FXFOWLE Architects