Statue of Liberty Museum
New York, NY, USA
35,500 sf Greenroof

Greenroofs.com Featured Project June 28, 2021

It’s only been a year since we showcased this wonderful project, but we couldn’t imagine a better example of living architecture to highlight in celebration of the 4th of July than the Statue of Liberty Museum, right?

New this time around is Lady Liberty will be sharing the spotlight with her “little sister.”

“One hundred thirty-five years after gifting the original Lady Liberty, France is sending a second, smaller Statue of Liberty across the Atlantic just in time for America’s July Fourth festivities. The bronze sibling statue, nicknamed the “little sister,” has been in France since its completion in 2009.” ~ NPR, June 10, 2021

Workers secure the move of the “Liberty Enlightening the World” by Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, a mini-replica of the French-designed Statue of Liberty, in Paris, Monday, June 7, 2021. (AP Photo/Francois Mori) Source: NBC New York.

One-sixteenth the size of the original, once she arrives from France, Little Sister will stand facing the original Lady Liberty from July 1 through July 5. Afterwards, little sis will move to Washington, D.C. at the French ambassador’s residence where she’ll be unveiled on July 14, Bastille Day, and remain for 10 years.

Having partially reopened after lifting some pandemic protection measures, currently Liberty Island grounds and concessions are open with certain capacity restrictions in place. The Statue of Liberty Museum is open with some restrictions, but the Statue’s Pedestal and Crown are currently closed.

With its partial reopening signaling the prospective ending to the COVID-19 pandemic, Lady Liberty continues to offer a renewed hope for our continued fight for our democracy, inclusion, and fundamental civil rights as guaranteed to all Americans – “We the People” – in our U.S. Constitution.

Image: Courtesy of FXCollaborative, photo copyright Iwan Baan

Image: Seastreak Facebook

Excerpt from Greenroofs.com Project Profile:

Gracing the entrance to New York Harbor and welcoming millions of immigrants to the United States since 1886, the Statue of Liberty was a gift of France designed by Bartholdi and Eiffel. The Statue of Liberty Museum is the most monumental addition to Liberty Island since the Statue herself.

More than that, it allows millions more visitors to enjoy the Statue of Liberty experience and be inspired by her history and message of freedom and opportunity. While the Statue of Liberty remains New York’s most iconic monument, the museum housed in its base had long proved inadequate for the thousands who visit each day.

Image: Courtesy of FXCollaborative, photo copyright Iwan Baan

Image: FXCollaborative. Click for larger graphic.

Designed by FXCollaborative, the new $100 million Statue of Liberty Museum opened in 2019, aiming for LEED Gold. The new Museum recounts a long-forgotten aspect: that Lady Liberty was created to celebrate freed slaves, not immigrants – that came later. The Museum addresses 3 main components: Accessibility, Education, and Sustainability and visitors can peruse permanent and rotating displays of statue-related artifacts, a 3-room immersive theater, and the original 1886 torch.

The design enhances the site with multiple planted areas, an extensive greenroof, and bird-friendly glass.

Image: Courtesy of FXCollaborative, photo copyright Iwan Baan

The Statue of Liberty Museum’s defining gesture is the lifting of the park itself, which creates a new, naturalized habitat in place of a traditional building. Designed by Quennell Rothschild & Partners, the landscape extends vistas, engages the site, and seamlessly merges with the building.

The design gives the appearance of rising up from the earth carrying with it a beautifully planted Garden Roof Assembly from American Hydrotech, completed with native grasses. The almost 23 degree slope was stabilized with Hydrotech’s GardNet, and MM6125 membrane and components were used in all of the roof and adjacent planter areas. Made with 100% New York state materials, the special blend of LiteTop Hydrotech growing media by Naturcycle traveled to the island on a barge via Super Sacks.

Image: Courtesy of FXCollaborative, photo copyright Iwan Baan

As visitors ascend the Statue of Liberty Museum stone staircase, the sloped greenroof meadow is seen on one side and a viewing platform appears on the other. New York Green Roofs was a consultant on the living roof’s plant palette. The Museum Roof Deck offers sweeping 360 degree views of the iconic Statue of Liberty, New York Harbor, and the New York skyline.

Drawing in 4.5 million visitors a year, Lady Liberty is a symbol of freedom, a national treasure, and one of the most recognizable figures around the globe – now with a beautiful greenroof topping her new museum to protect the artifacts inside for generations to come.

Image: Courtesy of FXCollaborative, photo copyright Iwan Baan

Year: 2019
Owner: The Statue of Liberty – Ellis Island Foundation
Location: New York, NY USA
Building Type: Museum
Type: Intensive Greenroof
System: Single Source Provider
Size: 35,500 sq.ft.
Slope: 5/12 or almost 23 degrees
Access: Inaccessible, Public

Image: American Hydrotech

Credits:

ARCHITECT:
FXCOLLABORATIVE

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT:
QUENNELL ROTHSCHILD & PARTNERS

GENERAL CONTRACTOR:
PHELPS CONSTRUCTION GROUP, LLC

ROOFING & WATERPROOFING:
AMERICAN HYDROTECH, INC.

GARDEN ROOF® ASSEMBLY GREENROOF SYSTEM:
AMERICAN HYDROTECH, INC.

AH LITETOP GREEN ROOF MEDIA:
NATURCYCLE, LLC

WATERPROOFING INSTALLATION:
GRANDVIEW WATERPROOFING

GREENROOF INSTALLATION:
WETLANDS

PLANT PALETTE CONSULTANT:
NEW YORK GREEN ROOFS

EXHIBITION DESIGN:
ESI DESIGN

Image: Courtesy of FXCollaborative, photo copyright Iwan Baan.

See the Project Profile

See the Statue of Statue of Liberty Museum project profile to view ALL of the Photos and Additional Information about this particular project in the Greenroofs.com Projects Database.

EarthCam live screenshot of June 27, 2021, via the Statue of Liberty website.

Image: Statue of Liberty Museum

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By Linda S. Velazquez, ASLA, LEED AP, GRP
Greenroofs.com Publisher & Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summits Host