Statue of Liberty Not Wholly Accessible

[RedGlitter]

September 22, 2007

Editorial

Free the Statue of Liberty

Representative Anthony Weiner is right to keep tilting at the Statue of Liberty — or at least at Washington’s insistence that the statue’s top be closed to the people it is meant to inspire.

Generations of tourists had climbed the 162 steps to Liberty’s crown until the site was closed after the Sept. 11 attacks. The statue was partly reopened three years ago, with visitors ushered through explosives detecting “puffer machines and other security, and then allowed only up to the statue’s hem. A glass ceiling was installed where the stairs were shut off.

Standing underneath it, visitors can gaze upward into the void, a tremendously unsatisfying experience, especially for those who remember the exhilaration of the climb and the panoramic views of water, city and, yes, freedom.

National Park Service officials, testifying before the House this week, said concerns over terror now have given way to worries that the top of the 121-year-old structure is a potential fire trap. And they warned the narrow staircases were never meant to handle hundreds of thousands of visitors a year. They plan to keep the tourists at Liberty’s hem. That’s unacceptable.

The arm and torch, closed nearly a century ago over structural concerns, should not be reopened. The body of the statue should be in better condition now than before 9/11: $20 million in mostly privately raised money was spent to upgrade fire safety and security. If that’s not enough, the park service should explain how much more it needs to make the statue safe.

A little creativity might also help. One idea would be a daily lottery so at least some visitors would still get the full, glorious experience. The tenacious Mr. Weiner is not likely to relent. For its part, the federal government needs to start showing some of the can-do spirit that lofted Liberty’s statue on Liberty Island.