Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Lady Liberty's Crown May Re-open
By
Jen Carlson
Published Jul 4, 2008
Modified Jul 4, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Carlson
Published Jul 4, 2008
Modified Jul 4, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Representative Anthony D. Weiner long advocated re-opening the Statue of Liberty's crown, which has been closed since the 9/11 attacks. Partly due to terrorism fears, the National Parks Service also noted the narrow staircase "violates every fire code in the city of New York and the state of New York and the state of New Jersey." However, Weiner blamed the park service for "a failure of creativity" by not solving the issues through renovation and evacuation plans.
Flash forward to the current Independence Day and news of Lady Liberty's crown re-opening may become a reality. The Daily News reports the federal government is exploring the idea, which Weiner says is "a dramatic breakthrough."
The National Park Service, which has limited Liberty Island visitors to her pedestal, on June 24 posted a request for bids from engineering and architectural firms to study what it takes to open the entire statue to the public.
"We are asking the firm to answer two questions. Is there a way to make changes to the structure itself to make it comply with safety codes? If they say, no...they would look at a way to minimize the risk," said Darren Boch, a spokesman for the National Park Service.
While there is no guarantee of the crown re-opening and the first new trip up won't occur anytime in the near future, the proper steps are now being taken in order to make it happen. If you've never seen the view from the top, here's a glimpse.
Photo via Brooklyn Hilary's Flickr.
Tagged
Anthony D. Weiner
crown
lady liberty
park service
plans
re-opening
statue of liberty
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Deer are all over New Jersey roads looking for sex, state officials warn
Mid-October through mid-December is deer mating season, which can be a danger to drivers as the sex-seeking creatures cross roadways throughout the Garden State.
By
Rosemary Misdary
Published Oct 16, 2026 at 4:22 p.m. ET
Man messaged 'I got straight poison' before giving NYC college students fentanyl, feds say
A transcript from an April court hearing sheds new light on what transpired at Fashion Institute of Technology.
By
Samantha Max
News
Man messaged 'I got straight poison' before giving NYC college students fentanyl, feds say
A transcript from an April court hearing sheds new light on what transpired at Fashion Institute of Technology.
By
Samantha Max
Inside the plan to fix the nearly collapsed Pfizer Building, 1/64th of an inch at a time
By
David Brand
School bus carrying autistic students got lost in Brooklyn for 4 hours last year
By
Jessica Gould
NYC’s bridges can last 'forever,' if we take care of them
By
Clayton Guse
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .