The Ellis Island Museum is getting a major 21st century upgrade

Later this year, renovation work will kick off at the Ellis Island Museum, officially catapulting the cultural institution into the 21st century through building upgrades, reimagined installations and improved accessibility scheduled to be completed by 2026.

The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation announced earlier today that its $100 million revitalization will expand the Records Discovery Center experience that many associate with the destination, allowing “millions more families to trace their immigration story.” To put things in perspective: the current database of 65 million port of New York arrival records will increase to approximately 154 million.

The museum first opened in 1990, within a 125-year-old building that is clearly needing upgrades. 

According to a press release, museum-goers can expect over 100,000 square feet of reimagined exhibits, including new public spaces for events and education programs.

Focusing on technological advancements, the work will include a new timeline of immigration spread over three floors filled with maps, artifacts, murals and models. The third floor will focus on pre-Ellis years, the second on the Ellis era and the first on the post-Ellis period. New theaters, including one featuring a 120’ x 7’9” media screen, will enhance the whole experience.

Those craving more information while taking in the scene will be delighted to know that new self-guided tours in 12 languages, each one offered as part of the ferry ticket, will now include American Sign Language tours, family-friendly ones for children between the ages of 6 and 10 and “a descriptive audio tour for visitors who are blind or with low vision.”

As mentioned in a statement by Jesse Brackenbury, Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation President and Chief Executive Officer, the overhaul is being funded by donations. 

“We are a nation of immigrants, and Ellis Island is the symbol of that history,” said Jesse Brackenbury, Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation President and Chief Executive Officer, an official statement. “Our project will ensure that the National Museum of Immigration will welcome, educate and inspire visitors for decades to come. As with all Foundation projects, it is through the generosity of donors across America—not government funding—that this transformative reimagination of one of the nation’s most beloved and popular museums will succeed.”

The renovation follows the opening of the Statue of Liberty back in 2019, a nearby destination that welcomes four million visitors annually—all of whom will likely be excited to visit a more with-the-times Ellis Island Museum.