Salazar Pushing to Reopen Statue of Liberty Crown
Closed to visitors since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, The Statue of Liberty’s crown may be reopening if the new Interior Secretary, Ken Salazar, has anything to say about it.
After the National Park Service closed both the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island to visitors back in 2001, the Ellis Island Immigration Museum and Liberty Island reopened just three months later. And with significant modifications to the pedestal and the addition of a screening process for visitors, access to the pedestal was re-opened in 2004. But the crown never reopened.
And in a visit to the site last week, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar expressed his sincere hope to change that as soon as possible.
“The Statue of Liberty is unique among our national parks as a symbol of freedom not only to Americans but also to people around the world,” Secretary Salazar said.
Salazar also supported reopening the crown during his four-year Senate tenure and has said that he will explore “all feasible alternatives” to doing so. “I believe the crown should be re-opened to the public if at all possible,” Salazar declared.
“I hope we can find a way. It would proclaim to the world – both figuratively and literally – that the path to the light of liberty is open to all,” he said.
The primary reason for the lengthy closure has been concern about the health and safety of visitors. The crown is accessible only by a narrow 168-step double-helix spiral staircase. The Park Service, which has responsibility to keep visitors safe and make it possible for them to evacuate in the event of an emergency, deemed the risk too high to re-open the crown to the public.
A contract was awarded to a Baltimore firm to evaluate potential alternatives and cost estimates for accommodating public access in the statue’s interior up to and including the crown. The final report is expected in April, 2009.
Images: Department of Interior; nyc.gov
