On what date did the Statue of Liberty Museum open?

The Statue of Liberty Museum opened on May 16, 2019.

The museum stands on Liberty Island in New York Harbor and tells the story of the monument’s creation, construction, symbolism, and continuing cultural importance. Its opening provided a major new visitor experience beyond the original museum located inside the statue’s pedestal, which could accommodate only a fraction of the island’s visitors.

The new building was designed to blend into the island’s landscape and was created by FXCollaborative. Its exhibits include more than 500 photographs and graphics from over 100 sources, along with historical material about Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi’s design and Gustave Eiffel’s structural engineering. The original torch, carried by the statue from 1886 until 1984, is also displayed there.

The museum should not be confused with the statue’s dedication date, October 28, 1886, or the 1986 centennial rededication. Construction began in October 2016, and the roughly $70 million project was funded privately, including major fundraising led by Diane von Fürstenberg.