At the Statue of Liberty, the party’s over, and the work begins

The Statue of Liberty hosted a 125th anniversary celebration Friday and then decided to take off the rest of this year and part of the next.

Being a hostess, of course, can be a lot of work, but in this case, it’s a lot of work that’s being done to the hostess that will keep her closed for about a year.

Now the party is over, although the National Park Service emphasizes that Liberty Island will remain open during the $27.25-million renovation.

About 3.5 million people visit Liberty Island in a year, but only about only 2,500 tickets a day have been available for the inside tour of Lady Liberty, which means about two-thirds of the visitors don’t go inside. Because the work is inside, the view of the statute will be largely unobstructed, the park service says.

Among the improvements to the lady are new elevators and stairways and rehabbed restrooms. Visitors will still be able to take the ferry to the island.

The United States received the statue from France, and it was dedicated Oct. 28, 1886, with President Grover Cleveland in attendance. George Cleveland, the grandson of President Cleveland who is said to bear a striking resemblance to his grandfather, attended the Friday ceremonies.

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