Statue of Liberty to close during repairs

Repairs to the Statue of Liberty will require closing the iconic symbol of freedom and democracy to tourists for a year, although the island on which it stands will remain accessible, officials said.The statue, whose torch and stern face are emblematic of the United States, will undergo a $27.25 million renovation beginning in October, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced Wednesday.Tourists can now enter in small numbers from the base, before climbing up into the famous crown. The statue which will stay open through the October 28 celebration of the 125th anniversary of its dedication.Work will commence the following day, but Liberty Island, where the copper statue is located in New York harbor, will remain open to tourists. The announcement marks another twist for the monument popularly known as Lady Liberty. Access to the interior of the statue was barred after the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York, then reopened two years ago to highly restricted groups of tourists. Officials say they plan to make the statue more accessible with improvements to the spiraling stairway inside the monument, and to fire safety devices, restrooms and elevators. "I promised that we would continue to upgrade the interior to make it safer and more accessible for all," Salazar said. "With today's announcement, we are taking a major step in bringing a 19th Century icon into the 21st Century."The Statue of Liberty was presented to the United States in 1886 as a gift of friendship from the people of France. It came to symbolize freedom -- especially for immigrants, 12 million of whom passed through nearby Ellis Island as they entered the United States.