The National Park Service has announced that it will be activating a new LED lighting system on July 7, which will illuminate the Statue of Liberty. The system will be activated at sunset, approximately 8:45 pm.
The new lighting is possible due to a donation of equipment by Musco Lighting of Oskaloosa, Iowa, which has had a close partnership with the National Park Service for several years. Musco is also responsible for the installation of LED systems on several other national landmarks including the Washington Monument, Mount Rushmore National Memorial, the White House, and Flight 93 National Memorial.
Musco’s new LED lighting system is designed to “highlight the aesthetics of the monument, while reducing the amount of light pollution being projected into the night sky.” LED systems provide twice the brightness level of metal halide lights while reducing energy consumption by 62 percent.
Lighting systems installed on the Statue of Liberty have continued to evolve with the advancement of technology. The landmark was first illuminated by a system of flood lights in 1916, incandescent floodlights donated by The Westinghouse Company in 1931, mercury vapor lamps in 1944-45, and eventually switched to a new design in time for the bicentennial in 1976 and the restoration of the statue in 1986.
The Statue of Liberty’s previous lighting system was housed in below ground light wells until the arrival of Hurricane Sandy, when Musco Lighting installed a temporary system in November 2012.
Visit www.musco.com