360° Panoramic Photographs
Liberty Island, New York, NY
These 360° panoramic photographs by Heritage Documentation Programs of the National Park Service are intended to provide virtual access to highlights of Statue of Liberty National Monument. This page was created as part of a larger documentation effort by Heritage Documentation Programs staff in 2019 to update previous documentation performed at the Statue of Liberty.
A more immersive interactive virtual tour is available at this link: Virtual Tour.
Visit the Statue of Liberty National Monument website for more information about the park.
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View from Torch
The original gilded torch design was recreated as part of the 1986 Centennial, viewed here from the access platform. The 1886 torch had been altered over the years and is now displayed in the Statue of Liberty Museum.
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Torch Interior
A rare look at the inside of the Statue’s torch reveals its structure.
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Torch Access Ladder
Public access to the torch was never easy due to the narrow space and difficult climb up this ladder, and was ended in 1916.
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Arm Access Platform
Climbing up this ladder provides access through the Statue’s arm to the torch. This arm and shoulder were not aligned correctly, necessitating repair and reinforcement during the Centennial restoration.
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View of Crown Interior
The viewing platform in the Statue’s crown is lined with small windows. The pattern of her hair is clearly visible along the ceiling above.
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Inside the Face
The inside of the Statue of Liberty’s lips and nose are visible in this view, also visible to the side of the stairs is the restricted access area for the arm and torch access ladder.
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Upper Platform
The iron armature supports were fastened to the approximately 300 copper sheets forming the Statue. During the 1984-86 restoration damaged armatures were replicated in stainless steel and replaced using the original techniques.
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Lower Platform
The copper folds of the Statue’s gown and the supporting armature bars are visible while climbing the interior stair. The Statue was sculpted using the repoussé technique, in which workmen shaped the copper on a wood mold by hammering it into relief from the reverse side.
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Double Helix Staircase
A remarkable double helix staircase allows visitors to ascend and descend inside the Statue. This stainless steel version replaced the original cast iron one during the 1984-86 restoration.
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Pedestal Stairs
The concrete walls of the pedestal staircase show imprints of the original formwork used to pour them.
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Pedestal Lobby
Since 1986 visitors have entered the Statue pedestal through this lobby space, which retains its appearance from the mid-1980s renovation. The UNESCO World Heritage Site Plaque is visable to the far right of the pedestal stairs.
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Fort Wood Day
Originally visitors entered the Statue at her front. Both visitor circulation and the area between the historic pedestal and Fort Wood have been changed over the decades.
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Fort Wood Night
Lighting the Statue started almost immediately, when the Lighthouse Board maintained a navigation light in her torch. Floodlights were installed in 1886, and have been updated numerous times, most recently with the installation of a modern LED system in 2015.
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Observation Deck
The observation deck at Level 6P is the most popular area for visitors to enjoy 360 degree views of New York Harbor.
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Level 3P City View
The terrace surrounding the base of the pedestal provides stunning views of New York Harbor, the Manhattan skyline, and the Statue of Liberty Museum opened in 2019.
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Fort Wood Remnants
Stairs from the top of Fort Wood to the ground level reveal a portion of the brick arched ceiling of the casemates and whitewashed finish of the interior walls.
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Centennial Doors
These bronze doors were fabricated for the 1986 Centennial of the Statue and provided access through the original walls of Fort Wood into the renovated lobby. They are decorated with ten bas reliefs depicting tasks and tools of the 1984-86 restoration such as copper repoussé, structural repair at the right shoulder, and metal workers' tools.
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Main Mall
The c. 1807 fortification walls of Fort Wood were filled with the massive concrete foundations for the Statue, creating an elevated base for the pedestal designed by venerable American architect Richard Morris Hunt. When fundraising to build the 89 foot tall granite-faced pedestal lagged in 1885, New York World publisher Joseph Pulitzer stepped in to galvanize the effort.
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Flagpole Plaza
View from the flagpole in front of the museum. The Statue's copper skin is 3/32 inch thick, the approximate thickness of two pennies. It is supported by an ingenious iron framework designed by French engineer Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, known at the time for his railway bridges and later for the Eiffel Tower. Eiffel’s design ably bore the vertical weight of the Statue’s copper skin and the horizontal force of the wind.
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Visitor Information Center
Originally managed by the U.S. Lighthouse Board and the U.S. War Department, stewardship of the Statue of Liberty National Monument was transferred to the National Park Service in 1933. NPS built the administration and concessions buildings in 1941 to serve the growing crowd of tourists. By the 20th century, the Statue had become an important patriotic symbol closely associated with welcoming immigrants into New York Harbor and the United States.
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Ferry Dock
Visitors have been arriving on Liberty Island (formerly Bedloe’s Island) since 1886 to see the monumental sculpture by Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi officially called Liberty Enlightening the World. At the time of its unveiling, the Statue of Liberty was the largest piece of copper statuary in history, as well as the tallest structure in New York. The Statue was conceived by French liberals as an expression of support for the United States’ commitment to republicanism in the wake of the Union’s victory in the Civil War and has been widely recognized as a symbol of friendship between France and the United States.
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Museum Torch Gallery
The original 1886 torch is the centerpiece of the Statue of Liberty Museum. Originally designed to be solid sheets of copper and gilded, openings were cut into the flame to allow use as a lighthouse or beacon. Its current appearance reflects the third round of alterations completed in 1916.
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Museum Roof Deck
Visitors to the Statue of Liberty Museum have an opportunity to see Liberty Island and its environs from the roof deck. The exhibits inside illuminate the history of the Statue of Liberty and its continually evolving meaning in the United States and throughout the world.
