Statue of Liberty lit for 1st time since Sandy

NEW YORK - The Statue of Liberty was illuminated Friday evening for the first time since it was damaged by Superstorm Sandy.

The statue, one of the city's top tourist attractions, has been closed because of damage resulting from the storm that hit New York Oct. 29, with no estimate on when it will reopen to visitors.

The statue sits on a small island in New York Harbor, and can be seen from many vantage points around New York City.

The monument was re-lit through temporary measures made possible by a donation of equipment and services from Musco Lighting to the National Park Foundation, which is the official charity of America's national parks, according to a statement from the National Park Service. The temporary lighting will remain in place until permanent repairs are made.

Marjorie Hall of the National Park Foundation could not immediately say if the temporary lighting looked any different.

The statue's lamp is held aloft by its raised arm and marks the highest point of the 305-foot-tall (93 meters) monument, which was dedicated in 1886. "The New Colossus," a poem by Emma Lazarus engraved inside the statue's pedestal, refers to the beacon in its final line: "I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"