DEEP DIVE
The Statue of Liberty in augmented reality
Statue of Liberty
For more than a century, countless visitors have gazed up at the Statue of Liberty. But no one’s ever seen her quite like this.
The timeless landmark now has an app that brings her into the augmented-reality era.
Released in conjunction with a brand-new museum on Liberty Island, the Statue of Liberty app is an AR wonderland: From anywhere in the world you can look inside the statue, take in the view from beside the torch – not on it, beside it – and travel back in time to watch 200 years of New York City history unfold, right from the crown.
Here’s a tour of the Statue of Liberty app.
The view from the torch
The A Vision of Liberty section is a rich historical archive that dives into the statue’s origin story and surprisingly controversial launch. (Turns out even the Statue of Liberty isn’t immune to cost overruns.)
As fascinating as that is, let’s be honest: You’ll want to fly up to the torch first.
To do so, tap View in AR and you’ll find yourself, in effect, floating a few feet from the flame. You haven’t been able to get this close to the torch since 1916 (unless you’re a pigeon).
Using your iPhone or iPad as a window onto this world, spin around to see a 360-degree view of New York Harbor. The sky will even adjust to match the time of day where you are.
The makings of liberty
In addition to serving as a global symbol of opportunity, Lady Liberty is an engineering marvel. The app reveals the intricacies of her architecture and design.
To learn more, open How Liberty Was Made, then tap Time Machine to see a model of the statue right in the room with you as she appeared in her original copper lustre. (A time-lapse video neatly illustrates how exposure to the elements resulted in her iconic green patina.) Then tap X-Ray, which reveals the Gustave Eiffel-designed skeleton of beams and bars within.
The stories of liberty
Millions of immigrants passed through Ellis Island. You’ll find their stories in the app’s third section, Liberty and the People, along with tales of the indigenous residents of Bedloe’s Island (a reminder that some communities view the statue as a symbol of how Liberty often failed to keep her promise).
This is also where you’ll find one of the app’s coolest features: a time-lapse video, seen from the perspective of the crown, showing the rise of the Manhattan skyline over the past 200 years. Go all the way back to 1808 and watch the buildings go up as the decades march on.
If you choose, slide the year selector to see what the skyline looked like when your ancestors might have arrived.
The app will also include a podcast series that covers the past, present and future of the statue.
All told, the app is a virtual pilgrimage – one that will make you feel like you’re gazing at an American icon for the very first time.
A glance at the new museum
The app is designed to accompany the new Statue of Liberty Museum, which features exhibits like a full-size replica model of Liberty’s face and the chance to see the original torch (replaced in 1984 after nearly a century of wear and tear).
The museum’s fund-raising champion was Belgian-born fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg, who immigrated to New York in 1969, and who wrote the preface for an accompanying book, The Statue of Liberty: The Monumental Dream.
“When I came to America, I came by boat,” von Furstenberg says. “I remember very well arriving at six in the morning – and there she was, welcoming me like she has welcomed so many other immigrants.”