LIBERTY ISLAND, N.Y. (WHTM) — The Statue of Liberty has been closed to the public many different times, for many different reasons. It closed in the 1980s for extensive, top to bottom renovations, ahead of the 100th anniversary of its dedication on Oct. 28, 1886. (It reopened o the public on July 4, 1986.)

It closed in 2011 on Oct. 29th, the day after its 125th-anniversary celebration, for a year-long renovation. It reopened on October 28, 2012-and the very next day Hurricane Sandy flooded 75 percent of the island, forcing another closure to clean up and repair the damage. (It reopened on July 4, 2013, even though repairs were still going on.)

Get daily news, weather, breaking news, and alerts straight to your inbox! Sign up for the abc27 newsletters here

  • A steady stream of tourists from everywhere in the U.S. and many from foreign lands, visit the Statue of Liberty (background) in New York August 4, 1946 which rises from an almost 150-foot pedestal. This height of the base of the 152-foot figure was necessary to make Miss Liberty impervious to the high winds of the bay. (AP Photo/FS)
  • This is an aerial view of the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor, July 3, 1952. (AP Photo/John Rooney)
  • Air view of the Statue of Liberty, made directly overhead, lookking down on the famous statue. This bird’s eye view was taken from an unusual angle. (AP Photo)
  • Workers remove the first of seven giant spikes from the Statue of Liberty’s crown on April 4, 1985 in New York, as part of a program to refinish and strengthen the spikes during an overall restoration of the statue. Each of the spikes, which represent the seven seas, and the seven continents, is about 9 feet long and 150 pounds. (AP Photo)
  • Robert Gohard, a member of the French team that is working on the restoration of the Statue of Liberty, puts finishing touches of gilding on the statue’s new torch, 1985, in the same place where the original torch was constructed. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
  • David Mack of Lake Andes, S.D., stands near the Statue of Liberty, on Liberty Island in Jersey City, N.J., Tuesday, June 29, 2004. An elaborate Fourth of July fireworks display near the Statue of Liberty will herald the reopening later this summer of the statue’s six-story pedestal to the public for the first time since the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Mack and the church group he came with had some hope the statue would be open already but were aware when they took the trip that it might not be ready. (APPhoto/Daniel Hulshizer)
  • Cowboy Joel Holly, of Utica, N.Y. watches over 35 American cattle touring the Statue of Liberty during a promotional event Thursday, June 28, 2007 in New York. The barge of bovines helped kick off A&W Restaurants’ Moove to American campaign with a tour of the New York harbor. The campaign calls for Americans to support 100% U.S. beef. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
  • The Statue of Liberty on its pedestal, in New York, Wednesday, May 20, 2009. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
  • Tracy Musacchio, LEFT, takes in the view from the crown of the Statue of Liberty in New York, Saturday July 4, 2009. The first visitors were allowed into the Statue of Liberty’s crown Saturday in nearly eight years after it was closed to the public after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The base, pedestal and outdoor observation deck were reopened in 2004, but the crown remained off-limits. (AP Photo/David Goldman, pool)
  • The Twin Lights memorial shines into the night sky over the Statue of Liberty with the skyline of New York in the background as seen from Bayonne, N.J., Sunday, Sept. 11, 2005. (AP Photo/Mike Derer)
  • A fireworks display is visible from Bayonne, N.J., over the Statue of Liberty to commemorate the 125th anniversary of the statue, on Friday, Oct. 28, 2011. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)
  • FILE – In a Monday, Oct. 29, 2012 file photo, waves crash over the bow of a tug boat as it passes near the Statue of Liberty in New York as rough water as the result of Hurricane Sandy churns the waters of New York Harbor. The Statue of Liberty survived Superstorm Sandy intact. But the storm flooded Liberty Island’s power and heating systems and damaged its buildings. Superintendent David Luchsinger, who led reporters on a tour of Liberty Island on Friday, Nov. 30, 2012, says the National Park Service still does not know when the statue will reopen to the public or how much the island repairs will cost.  (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle, File)
  • FILE – In this Nov. 30, 2012 file photo, the Statue of Liberty stands beyond parts of a brick walkway damaged in Superstorm Sandy on Liberty Island in New York. With scientists forecasting sea levels to rise by anywhere from several inches to several feet by 2100, historic structures and coastal heritage sites around the world are under threat. A multidisciplinary conference is scheduled to convene in Newport, R.I., this week to discuss preserving those structures and neighborhoods that could be threatened by rising seas. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)
  • Visitors to the Statue of Liberty take photos from the pedestal, Thursday, July 4, 2013, in New York. The Statue of Liberty finally reopened on the Fourth of July months after Superstorm Sandy swamped its little island in New York Harbor as Americans across the country marked the holiday with fireworks and barbecues. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
  • An ariel view of the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor, Friday, June 20, 2014. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
  • The original torch of the Statue of Liberty rests on a hydraulically stabilized transporter, Thursday, Nov. 15, 2018 in New York. The torch, which was removed in 1984 and replaced by a replica, was being moved into what will become its permanent home at a new museum on Liberty Island. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
  • A miniature Statue of Liberty is among the artifacts displayed in the new Statue of Liberty Museum, on Liberty Island, in New York, Monday, May 13, 2019. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
  • The original torch and flame are displayed in the new Statue of Liberty Museum, on Liberty Island, in New York, Monday, May 13, 2019. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
  • A family rides a ferry to Liberty Island on its first day of reopening since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, Monday, July 20, 2020, in New York. Visitors can walk around Liberty Island but the Statue of Liberty remains closed. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
  • The Strawberry Supermoon rises in front of the Statue of Liberty in New York, late Tuesday, June 14, 2022. (AP Photo/J. David Ake)

But the most traumatic closure came on September 11, 2001, when the World Trade Center was destroyed. The first ferry to the statue of the day was already en route when the attack happened. It returned to dock, and there would be no visitors to Liberty Island for over two months. The island would reopen on December 1st, but the inside of the statue stayed closed.

Not until August 3, 2004, did the monument reopen after metal detectors were installed to screen visitors boarding the ferry, as well as surveillance cameras and bomb detectors on the island. Only the pedestal opened that day-the statue itself remained closed.

The pedestal contained a museum telling the story of the statue, from its 1886 dedication through the 1980s renovations. Visitors could also go to the observation deck at the top of the pedestal, which offers a view from a height of 16 stories. The Statue’s crown would reopen to the public on July 4, 2009. (The crown is now closed again due to Covid, but will be opened sometime in the future.)

A new Statue of Liberty Museum opened on the island in 2019.