The Statue of Liberty Is Closing for a Year

The Statue of Liberty is closing in October to undergo $27.25 million in renovations to make it safer and more accessible, reports The New York Times. Liberty Island will stay open and the statue will remain mostly unobstructed but the inside of the statue will be closed to visitors for one year. “It’s disappointing,” the president of the Statue of Liberty Club, a nonprofit group, tells the Times. “But if it has to be any length of time, I’m glad it’s only a year.” It closes on October 28, following the 125th anniversary of its dedication. The renovations include upgrades to its electrical and fire suppression systems and improvements to its elevators, bathrooms, and stairways. The vice president of Statue Cruises emphasized that "Everything on Liberty Island outside of the statue is unaffected. There will be no scaffolding and very little interruption of activity.” Over the years, the monument has gone through a number of closings, notes the Times. It was closed for three years following the 9/11 attacks. In 2009, visits to the crown and 146 steps were resumed.