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 | Aug 24, 2021
MAD Architects unveils design for Hainan Science and Technology Museum
The project is slated to break ground in late August.
Resiliency | Aug 19, 2021
White paper outlines cost-effective flood protection approaches for building owners
A new white paper from Walter P Moore offers an in-depth review of the flood protection process and proven approaches.
Museums | Aug 17, 2021
The Rubin Museum of Art’s Mandala Lab set to open
The new space occupies the museum’s third floor.
Museums | Jul 23, 2021
First museum devoted to artist-built environments opens in Sheboygan
Tres Birds designed the project.
Museums | Jul 20, 2021
ANOHA — The Children’s World of the Jewish Museum Berlin opens
Olson Kundig designed the project.
Museums | Jul 12, 2021
The world’s largest astronomy museum completes in Shanghai
Ennead Architects designed the project.
Museums | Jul 1, 2021
New-York Historical Society Museum & Library expands Central Park West location
Robert A.M. Stern Architects designed the project.
Resiliency | Jun 24, 2021
Oceanographer John Englander talks resiliency and buildings [new on HorizonTV]
New on HorizonTV, oceanographer John Englander discusses his latest book, which warns that, regardless of resilience efforts, sea levels will rise by meters in the coming decades. Adaptation, he says, is the key to future building design and construction.
Museums | Jun 22, 2021
Cleveland’s Natural History museum to break ground on new Exhibit Hall
The added space will organize its artifacts and specimens to show humanity’s connection to science, the planet, and the universe.
Digital Twin | May 24, 2021
Digital twin’s value propositions for the built environment, explained
Ernst & Young’s white paper makes its cases for the technology’s myriad benefits.