Park Service Won't Reopen Lady Liberty's Crown

Sept. 18, 2007 — -- Though Lady Liberty has long been a symbol of American freedom, Americans are no longer free to tour all of the statue.

The entire Ellis Island landmark, along with other national parks and monuments, was closed immediately following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. More than six years later, the upper wing of the statue, known as the crown, has yet to reopen.

Today, Congress demanded to know why.

The National Park Service oversees the statue and defended its decision to keep the crown closed, deeming it unsafe, not because of terrorism but because of fire code regulations.

"The current management policy of limiting public access to the statue's crown is, in our opinion, the best way to provide an enjoyable and enriching experience while not exposing visitors to unnecessary risks," said National Park Service Deputy Director Daniel Wenk at an oversight hearing of the House Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands.

Congressional representatives from New York and New Jersey fired back with withering critiques, faulting the Park Service for what New York Democrat Andrew Weiner called "a lack of creativity and courage."

"The statue is a symbol of freedom and democracy and should be reopened," said Rep. Albio Sires, D-N.Y., who, as an immigrant, remembered visiting the statue during his childhood "one of the most emotional experiences" of his life.

"Since Sept. 11, every national park or monument has been reopened except one," said Weiner. "And it's the one with 'statue' in its name. It's a scandal."

In years past, both houses of Congress passed legislation expressing their desire for the crown to be reopened. Wenk said today that the Park Service has done everything possible to try to make the crown safe enough for tourists, but to no avail.

"We believe we have done what we could do to make inquiries to make it accessible," Wenk said.

Utah Rep. Rob Bishop, the ranking Republican on the subcommittee, challenged Wenk, riffing on the statue's origins as a gift from France in 1886: "So what you're telling me is the French did a lousy job in the design of the statue?"