NATIONAL PARK SERVICE • U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Foundation Document Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island New Jersey and New York July 2018 Foundation Document NEW JERSEY HUDSON JERSEY CITY RIVER NEW YORK Ferry tickets MANHATTAN N Railroad Terminal ew J e r Liberty State Park s e Ferry tickets y Battery f Castle Clinton e Park Ellis r National r Island y Monument Statue of Liberty National y EAST RIVER rr Monument e f rk o Y ew Governors Island Liberty N National Monument Island North 0 0.5 Kilometer BROOKLYN 0 0.5 Mile ELLIS ISLAND IMMIGRATION MUSEUM Interior shown at right Ferry Building American Immigrant Museum Wall of Honor Entrance Ellis Island Fort Gibson 0 75 meters 0 250 feet Buildings shown in gray are closed to the public. Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island Contents Mission of the National Park Service 1 Introduction 2 Part 1: Core Components 3 Brief Description of the Park 3 Statue of Liberty National Monument 3 Ellis Island 5 Park Purpose 6 Park Significance 7 Fundamental Resources and Values 8 Other Important Resources and Values 10 Interpretive Themes 10 Part 2: Dynamic Components 11 Special Mandates and Administrative Commitments 11 Special Mandates 11 Administrative Commitments 11 Assessment of Planning and Data Needs 12 Analysis of Fundamental Resources and Values 13 Analysis of Other Important Resources and Values 28 Identification of Key Issues and Associated Planning and Data Needs 31 Planning and Data Needs 31 Part 3: Contributors 33 Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island 33 NPS Northeast Region 33 NPS Denver Service Center, Planning Division 33 Appendixes 34 Appendix A: Presidential Proclamations for Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island 34 Appendix B: Interpretive Theme Matrix for Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island 38 Foundation Document Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island Mission of the National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) preserves unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the national park system for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations. The National Park Service cooperates with partners to extend the benefits of natural and cultural resource conservation and outdoor recreation throughout this country and the world. The NPS core values are a framework in which the National Park Service accomplishes its mission. They express the manner in which, both individually and collectively, the National Park Service pursues its mission. The NPS core values are: · Shared stewardship: We share a commitment to resource stewardship with the global preservation community. · Excellence: We strive continually to learn and improve so that we may achieve the highest ideals of public service. · Integrity: We deal honestly and fairly with the public and one another. · Tradition: We are proud of it; we learn from it; we are not bound by it. · Respect: We embrace each other’s differences so that we may enrich the well-being of everyone. The National Park Service is a bureau within the Department of the Interior. While numerous national park system units were created prior to 1916, it was not until August 25, 1916, that President Woodrow Wilson signed the National Park Service Organic Act formally establishing the National Park Service. The national park system continues to grow and comprises more than 400 park units covering more than 84 million acres in every state, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. These units include, but are not limited to, national parks, monuments, battlefields, military parks, historical parks, historic sites, lakeshores, seashores, recreation areas, scenic rivers and trails, and the White House. The variety and diversity of park units throughout the nation require a strong commitment to resource stewardship and management to ensure both the protection and enjoyment of these resources for future generations. The arrowhead was authorized as the official National Park Service emblem by the Secretary of the Interior on July 20, 1951. The sequoia tree and bison represent vegetation and wildlife, the mountains and water represent scenic and recreational values, and the arrowhead represents historical and archeological values. 1 Foundation Document Introduction Every unit of the national park system will have a foundational document to provide basic guidance for planning and management decisions—a foundation for planning and management. The core components of a foundation document include a brief description of the park as well as the park’s purpose, significance, fundamental resources and values, other important resources and values, and interpretive themes. The foundation document also includes special mandates and administrative commitments, an assessment of planning and data needs that identifies planning issues, planning products to be developed, and the associated studies and data required for park planning. Along with the core components, the assessment provides a focus for park planning activities and establishes a baseline from which planning documents are developed. A primary benefit of developing a foundation document is the opportunity to integrate and coordinate all kinds and levels of planning from a single, shared understanding of what is most important about the park. The process of developing a foundation document begins with gathering and integrating information about the park. Next, this information is refined and focused to determine what the most important attributes of the park are. The process of preparing a foundation document aids park managers, staff, and the public in identifying and clearly stating in one document the essential information that is necessary for park management to consider when determining future planning efforts, outlining key planning issues, and protecting resources and values that are integral to park purpose and identity. While not included in this document, a park atlas is also part of a foundation project. The atlas is a series of maps compiled from available geographic information system (GIS) data on natural and cultural resources, visitor use patterns, facilities, and other topics. It serves as a GIS-based support tool for planning and park operations. The atlas is published as a (hard copy) paper product and as geospatial data for use in a web mapping environment. The park atlas for Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island can be accessed online at: http://insideparkatlas.nps.gov/. 2 Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island Part 1: Core Components The core components of a foundation document include a brief description of the park, park purpose, significance statements, fundamental resources and values, other important resources and values, and interpretive themes. These components are core because they typically do not change over time. Core components are expected to be used in future planning and management efforts. Since 1995, the United States Park Police has been responsible for icon security at Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island. Detailed information about their icon security program and protocols is not included as a core component of this document, although they are integral to the overall operations of both islands and mainland support facilities. Brief Description of the Park Statue of Liberty National Monument Located on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, the Statue of Liberty (Statue) was presented to the American people in 1886 by the Franco-American Union to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the independence of the United States. The brainchild of French scholar Édouard de Laboulaye, the Statue’s principal designers were French sculptor Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi and French engineer Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel. American architect Richard Morris Hunt designed the pedestal. In 1877, Congress authorized acceptance of the sculpture as a commemorative monument of art, and President Ulysses S. Grant designated Bedloe’s Island (now Liberty Island) as the permanent site for the Statue. Its design and construction were recognized at the time as one of the greatest technical achievements of the 19th century and hailed as a bridge between art and engineering. The Statue was completed in France in July 1884 and arrived in 350 pieces in New York in June 1885 on board the French frigate Isère. Construction of the granite pedestal within Fort Wood on Bedloe’s Island was completed in April 1886. The Statue was reassembled on her new pedestal in four months and dedicated on October 28, 1886, in front of thousands of spectators. Administration of the Statue fell under the United States Light- House Board from 1886 until 1902, when it was transferred to the U.S. Army. President Calvin Coolidge declared the Statue of Liberty and its pedestal a national monument in 1924. The National Park Service took over the administration of the monument in 1933 and the remainder of the island in 1937. In 1939, the National Park Service issued a master plan for the site that gradually removed all remaining structures of the military (except Fort Wood) to create a carefully landscaped park. In 1956, Bedloe’s Island was renamed “Liberty Island” by an act of Congress, and in 1972 the American Museum of Immigration opened inside Fort Wood. From 1982 to 1986, the entire monument underwent a major restoration in anticipation of the Statue’s centennial anniversary. During the restoration process, the United Nations designated the Statue of Liberty as a World Heritage Site, concluding that it “… is a masterpiece of the creative spirit of man” and is “directly and materially associated with an event of outstanding universal significance: the populating of the United States, the melting pot of disparate peoples in the second half of the 19th century.” 3 Foundation Document The Statue of Liberty’s granite pedestal sits in the middle of the star-shaped Fort Wood, an 1811 harbor defense installation. The base of the monument contains an exhibit about the Statue of Liberty.