Visitors and residents in New York City can now experience the Statue of Liberty all over again. The Statue of Liberty crown is about to re-open to the public since its closure in 2020 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, and you’re not gonna wanna miss out on the stunning views of New York’s harbor. 

In 1875, Edouard De Laboulaye proposed the idea while Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, a French sculptor, conceptualized this massive statue as a gift to the Americans from the French for supporting their independence.

In July 1884, the Statue of Liberty was completed, and was preparing to set sail on the frigate Isere, to sail across the Atlantic to land in her new home in America. The Statue, ever so massive, was broken down into about 350 parts with 214 crates aboard. 

President Grover Cleveland officially opened the Statue of Liberty on October 28,1886, on Bedloe’s island. This was later changed to Liberty Island, New York. Thousands of spectators witnessed the opening, and it was a sign of hope for a better life for Americans and Immigrants coming to America. 

Throughout the years, since the creation of the Statue of Liberty, the massive sculpture was created with copper and steel. The Statue of Liberty slowly became green due to the oxidations and green patina. The cause of this was natural weather such as rain, wind, and lots of sun.  

Bartholdi questioned what material of the torch should be made out of. What they settled with was copper when making the statue, however in 1916, about 250 pieces of copper were removed and replaced with fire-amber-like colored cathedral glass. Signs of Bartholdi’s original imagination are nearly gone because projectors that lit up the torch were installed in 1931. 

2020 wasn’t the only time the Statue of Liberty closed its doors.. In 1984, the national monument was closed to do restorations to the statue. On July 5, 1986, nearly 100 years after its completion, it was reopened to the public for a centennial celebration. The next time the statue closed was after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Liberty Island closed for 100 days, with the statue was not accepting visitors until August 2004. At the time of reopening, visitors would be able to visit the pedestal and take pictures of the statue from the ground. The crown would remain closed to the public until July 2009. A whole eight years and 10 months after the September 11th attack. Even though it was open to the public, reservations were required to visit. 

On March 16th, 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic continued to rise, many public places began to close, and quarantining was a requirement. Any services headed to the Statue of Liberty were halted. On October 11, 2022, the Statue of Liberty crown reopened again to the public. 

To get to the top, visitors must climb about 162 stairs to witness the view of New York. No elevators are available to use, so the official National Park Service has warnings to not climb the crown if visitors have heart conditions, fear of heights, claustrophobia, and many more. In order to access the Statue of Liberty, visitors must purchase tickets at a steep price of $24.30. 

With this reopening now in play, visitors can once again witness the monumental statue that represents hope and freedom. Tickets are selling quickly, with the public excited to have this experience.

Visit https://www.nps.gov/stli/index.htm for more information & purchase tickets at https://www.nps.gov/stli/index.htm

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