NEW YORK — A new, expanded museum for the Statue of Liberty opened on Liberty Island May 16.
The museum, with large glass walls, a green rooftop pavilion planted with native meadow grasses and 26,000 square feet of exhibit space, replaces the former museum in the state’s pedestal.
The exhibits are displayed in three galleries — engagement, inspiration and immersive — and begin with a 10-minute introductory film about the history, construction and legacy of the statue.
One of the highlights of the new museum is sculptor Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi’s original 3,600-pound torch, which was replaced in the mid-1980s, showcased in a light-filled atrium that overlooks the statue and the Manhattan skyline.
There are also full-scale replicas of the Statue of Liberty’s face and foot.
