New plans have been unveiled for the building of a new Statue of Liberty Museum on Liberty Island in New York Harbour, which is projected to open to the public in 2019.

This is the first new building construction undertaken by the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, which has been responsible for historic restoration and preservation since the 1980s.

The new 26,000-square-foot museum was designed by architecture firm FXFOWLE and exhibitions are being created by experience design firm ESI Design.

It will be built by Phelps Construction Group.

The new museum - which is the key part of a beautification plan that also includes landscaping and lighting - will give the more than 4.3 million annual visitors to the Statue of Liberty the opportunity to learn about and honour the statue’s history, influence, and legacy in the world.

The current Statue of Liberty Museum, located inside the Statue of Liberty monument, is only accessible to a small fraction of the statue’s visitors due to the safety upgrades that were put in place following September 11th 2001.

Diane von Furstenberg was named chair of the fundraising campaign that seeks to raise $100 million for the foundation, which, in partnership with the National Park Service, was responsible for the historic restorations of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island and will build this new $70 million museum.

“The Statue of Liberty is not just one of the most recognised monuments in the world, but an international symbol of hope that deserves to have her story shared with everyone who visits Liberty Island,” said Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation president Stephen Briganti.

“We are so honoured to have Diane von Furstenberg, who was so inspired by the Statue herself when she first arrived in America, leading the fundraising campaign for the new museum.”