Project Size: 15,000 square feet
Designers: ESI
Liberating Lady Liberty
The new Statue of Liberty Museum presents the rich history and timeless message of this historic landmark. Opened to the public in May 2019, this museum was the most significant project undertaken on Liberty Island since the restoration of the statue more than 30 years ago. Challenged with only 20 percent of visitors having access to the interior of the monument, which housed the statue’s original torch and a small museum within the pedestal; the National Park Service approached The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation to make Lady Liberty’s story more accessible to visitors and improve visitor experience. The result is a complete re-invention of the space, which communicates the historic past of the statue and offers visitors sweeping, panoramic views of Lady Liberty, lower Manhattan, and all of New York Harbor.
An Island Challenge
Over the course of six months, kubik maltbie coordinated with the AV company, the general contractor, the design team, script writers, the National Park Service, and The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation to move this project forward — including strategic planning to begin graphic installation with a script that had yet to be written! With scheduling limitations to accommodate certain days when materials could be barged out to Liberty Island, the team strategically planned and organized timetables to make sure the goods were delivered on schedule and used the visitor ferry to the Island to transport supplies.
kubik maltbie’s scope of work included, all fabrication and installation including mock-ups, scenic recreations and interactive exhibits, the internal exhibits within the building walls, the theater along with the challenging slat walls within, the spectacular star-studded Donor wall and finished components, as well as the Bartholdi’s Workshop.
Just as the Statue of Liberty was originally conceived in collaboration, as an emblem of the friendship and cooperation between the United States and France; the development and execution of this project incorporated a partnership between the various teams, including kubik maltbie. Collaborative efforts with the National Park Service/U.S. Department of the Interior, architecture firm FXCollaborative and ESI Design led to this exemplary re-creation of the Statue of Liberty Museum.
