New York Museum Is Keeper of the Flame

New York Museum Is Keeper of the Flame

Illuminating Engineering Society

After many twists and turns over more than 130 years, the original torch from the Statue of Liberty has arrived safe and sound in the new Statue of Liberty Museum on Liberty Island. The torch and flame—replaced in 1986—were restored by a team including Rambusch metal craftsmen, conservators and stained glass artisans. The craftsmen carefully made the copper and iron framework structurally sound again, while Rambusch stained glass craftspeople cleaned and repaired broken colored panels and brought back to life the existing panes.

Rambusch also developed a dynamic LED color-changing illumination system inside the flame-based around a Lumenetix module with a wide color range that would be controlled by a Lutron system. This combination will allow the museum to create varied color presentations of the flame itself, much like the Empire State Building spire. Thus, the flame is again alive and glows.