Liberty Island, the home of the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor, is about to receive a new 26,000-sf Statue of Liberty Museum. The museum will provide guests to the tiny island an alternative experience if they are not one of the lucky few to actually get inside the statue.
The $70 million museum is being designed by FXFOWLE and will be built by Phelps Construction Group. Phelps has worked closely with FXFOWLE in order to determine the most efficient way to construct the sustainable building.
The first floor of the new museum will be built above the 500-year flood level and will have the ability to withstand hurricane force winds. Part of the roof will be planted with vegetation native to the area while the rest will be used as a viewing platform flanked on one side by Lady Liberty and on the other by the Manhattan skyline.
The interior of the museum will feature exhibits and interactive displays providing information about the Statue of Liberty’s history, influence, and legacy. ESI Design will create the exhibits, which will include a theater, an engagement gallery, and an inspiration gallery. One of the largest pieces on display in the museum will be the Statue of Liberty’s original torch, which was replaced during a renovation of the statue in the 1980s. The torch will be displayed in a glass-walled space allowing visitors to view the old torch and its replacement at the same time, according to The New York Times.
Funding for the museum is being covered by the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, which has already raised about $40 million.
The expected completion date for the new museum is in 2019.
Related Stories
Museums | Jul 9, 2015
David Adjaye unveils brownstone-inspired design for The Studio Museum in Harlem
In designing the five-story, 71,000-sf building, Adjaye took cues from the brownstones, churches, and bustling sidewalks of Harlem.
Museums | Jul 1, 2015
Diller Scofidio + Renfro merges old and new for UC Berkeley Art Museum design
The building, located directly across from the UC Berkeley campus, integrates the existing 48,000-sf Art Deco-style building with a new 35,000-sf structure.
Museums | Jun 28, 2015
Manhattan's New Museum debuts first museum-led incubator space
Part studio, part shared workplace, part lab, and part professional development program, NEW INC connects design with technology, the arts with the market, students with seasoned practitioners, and the museum with the world.
Museums | Jun 23, 2015
Moreau Kusunoki's 'art in the city' scheme wins Guggenheim Helsinki design competition
The firm’s design concept makes use of the museum’s site, turning it into a bustling, well-connected waterfront hub.
Museums | Jun 17, 2015
Final two designs selected for China's 'Three Museums, One Square' development
Overlooking the Pearl River in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou, the cluster of museums will be designed by Nieto Sobejano Arquitectos, gmp Architekten, and Thomas Herzog Architekten.
Museums | Jun 3, 2015
Qatar launches design competition for waterfront art museum
The new gallery will repurpose a soon-to-be-vacant flour mill.
Museums | May 28, 2015
SANAA wins bid to design new building for Art Gallery of New South Wales
The museum's developers hope the new gallery will enrich Sydney’s eastern cultural precinct.
Museums | May 18, 2015
Diller Scofidio + Renfro unveils preliminary design for U.S. Olympic Museum
According to the firm’s founding partner, Elizabeth Diller, the design was inspired by the movement of athletes, as it “spirals up and outwards from a central atrium.”
Museums | May 13, 2015
The museum of tomorrow: 8 things to know about cultural institutions in today’s society
Entertainment-based experiences, personal journeys, and community engagement are among the key themes that cultural institutions must embrace to stay relevant, write Gensler's Diana Lee and Richard Jacob.
Museums | Apr 27, 2015
Finalists’ designs for Guggenheim Helsinki competition released
A custom-developed App engages an international public in the selection process.
