FXFOWLE's new Statue of Liberty museum tops out on Liberty Island

Just a little over a year after the project was announced, the structure that will soon be the new Statue of Liberty Museum has now topped out. Curbed had a chance to tour the structure as part of a press preview on Monday. Fashion maven Diane Von Furstenberg, who serves as the fundraising committee chair for the museum, was also on hand for the topping out Ceremony on Monday.

The FXFOWLE-designed museum will span 26,000 square feet when it is complete, and come with a host of landscaping features with vegetation that is native to Liberty Island. While the museum’s exhibition spaces will all be located on the ground floor, there will be landscaping and seating on multiple levels, and a rooftop terrace that will offer up scenic views of the city.

ESI Design is the firm behind the exhibition spaces, and has created several designated areas within the museum—we had a chance to tour the shell of these spaces on Monday.

An immersive theater will play an 8-9 minute film that will talk about the creation of the Statue of Liberty; The Engagement Gallery will highlight the statue’s significance in American culture, and what the statue stands for; The Inspiration Gallery, located on the way out of the museum will allow visitors to take photos, which will then be projected onto a large screen in front of them, and become part of the “Becoming Liberty” panoramic media display.

The Statue’s original torch, which currently rests at its base, will be moved to the Museum and sit in front of the Inspiration Gallery. The Museum is also creating a Liberty Star Mural as a nod to the donors of the museum’s fundraising efforts; the mural will feature stars designed by artist Anh Dung and the original hand-forged iron bars that were removed from the Statue during its centennial restoration.

The museum marks the first new building project to be undertaken by the Statue of Liberty—Ellis Island Foundation, which has overseen the preservation of the Statue since the 1980s. The museum has been designed in such a way that it is above 500-year flood levels, and will be built to withstand hurricane force winds. Located right behind the Statue of Liberty, the museum is scheduled to open sometime in 2019.

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