The Statue of Liberty's Crown To Reopen

• Interior Secretary Ken Salazar made the announcement from Lady Liberty's saying, "On July 4th, we are giving America a special gift. We are once again inviting the public to celebrate our great nation and the hope and opportunity it symbolizes by climbing to Lady Liberty's crown for a unique view of New York Harbor, where the forbearers of millions of American families first saw the new world."
  
  
  

  Timothy A. Clary, AFP / Getty Images

• A view of the Lady Liberty's arm from the window of the crown of the Statue of Liberty tour May 20, 2009.
  
  
  

  Timothy A. Clary, AFP / Getty Images

• National Park Service park ranger Eugene Kuziw wipes sweat from his brow in the crown of the Statue of Liberty on May 8, 2009 in New York City.
  The Statue of Liberty holds her torch aloft in one hand and a tablet inscribed with the United States birthday, July 4, 1776, in the other.
  
  
  
  

  Chris Hondros, Getty Images

• Secretary Salazar has based his decision to reopen the statue on a comprehensive analysis of the entire structure by the National Park Service, including expert recommendations on reducing risk for visitors.
  The Statue of Liberty overlooks New York Harbor, May 20, 2009.
  
  
  

  Richard Drew, AP

• The 265-foot crown will be made accessible to 10 people at a time, who will be guided up a narrow 168-step spiral staircase by a National Park Service Ranger.
  The shadow of the Statue of Liberty is seen through a widow of her crown, May 20, 2009, in New York.
  
  
  

  Richard Drew, AP

• U.S. Park Police officer Chris Kyriakou walks down the circular staircase from the crown of the Statue of Liberty on May 8.
  
  
  

  Chris Hondros, Getty Images

• The copper-clad statue, dedicated on October 28, 1886, commemorates the centennial of the signing of the United States Declaration of Independence and was given to the United States by France to represent the friendship between the two countries established during the American Revolution.
  This photo shows a view looking up inside the cavity of the Statue of Liberty, including the spiral staircase leading to the crown.
  
  
  

  Matthew Brown, Pool / AP

• A commercial jet passes behind the Statue of Liberty on May 18, 2009 in New York City. Enhanced security around the statue and improvements at nearby Ellis Island have been allocated by a $25 million grant provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Many of the stimulus projects across the nation including at the Statue of Liberty, however, have yet to begin partly due to the bureaucracy of awarding commercial contracts with such large sums of money.
  
  
  

  John Moore, Getty Images

• The original torch from the Statue of Liberty sits in a lobby at the entrance to the monument on Liberty Island, New York.
  
  
  

  Chris Hondros, Getty Images

• More than 50,000 members of the public are expected to visit the statue's crown over the next two years before the lady is closed again for work on a long-term solution that will permanently improve safety and security.
  Lower Manhattan is seen through the windows in the crown of the Statue of Liberty.
  
  
  

  Chris Hondros, Getty Images