THE STATUE OF LIBERTY MUSEUM | Liberty Island, New York, USA | 2019

Architects: FXCollaborative
Project Management: SBI Consultants, Inc.
Client: The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, Inc.
Photographers: Iwan Baan and David Sundberg

General Contractor: Phelps Construction Group
Structural Engineers: DeSimone Consulting Engineers
Experience and Exhibition Designers: ESI Design
Landscape Architects: Quennell Rothschild & Partners

The Statue of Liberty, Liberty Enlightening the World, is known the world over, and its torch is as much a universal symbol of enlightenment, freedom, and democracy, as it is a welcoming beacon to all.

However, the Statue of Liberty Museum was previously located in the Statue's pedestal, which prevented 80% of Liberty Island's visitors from entering due to restrictive security measures implemented following September 11, 2001.

In contrast, the new Statue of Liberty Museum gives every visitor the opportunity to experience the museum and the inspiring history and message of Lady Liberty.

The new 26,000 sqft Statue of Liberty Museum achieved the architect's two goals: To create a building that uplifts the experience of the island for all visitors, and To extend and add to the island's open space, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to the beloved international monument.

The Statue of Liberty Museum is a garden pavilion designed to welcome all of the island's 4.3 million annual visitors of all ages, nationalities, and ethnicities to spread the story of the Statue of Liberty, her creation, and her significance.

On Liberty Island in New York Harbor, the museum anchors the main axis that connects the museum to the statue, and extends this axis via a sweeping granite staircase that leads to its roof.

The visitor experience culminates in a dramatic granite roof terrace that provides unobstructed views of Lady Liberty, the Manhattan skyline, and New York Harbor.

The design eschews formality in favor of an asymmetrical design that embraces its dramatic setting and changes form as visitors move in, on, and around it, much as the idea of liberty is a diverse and pluralistic concept.

The project's dynamic expression was inspired by the irregularity of the water's edge, as well as the geometry of the adjacent circular Flagpole Plaza. The museum's centerpiece is the original torch that graced the Statue of Liberty for nearly 100 years' universal symbol of enlightenment that was previously located inside the pedestal's base.

The new museum frames the torch with a sparkling glass vitrine that makes it a visible beacon to visitors on the island and all over New York Harbor.

A silk-screened dot pattern on the 22-foot-high glass walls deters bird impacts and ensures their safety.

Merging landscape and building, the museum's roof is planted with native meadow grasses that create a natural habitat for local and migrating birds and super-insulates the building by capturing and filtering stormwater.

The building is also elevated above the 500-year flood plain to prevent damage from potential extreme weather events.

The project's materials link the future of Liberty Island with its past, employing the same Stony Creek granite chosen for the Statue's base, and a bronze alloy whose patina matches the monumental bronze doors of Fort Wood.

The Statue of Liberty Museum is designed to accommodate heavy and continuous year-round pedestrian traffic and anticipates LEED Gold certification.