A Luminous History

When asked to redo the Statue of Liberty’s exterior lighting, Howard Brandston studied the monument from every angle at every time of day, and decided that the statue looked best at dawn. Unfortunately, there was no lamp that would recreate the lighting effect he envisioned. Not to be deterred, Brandston teamed with GE to develop two new metal halide products, one to mimic the morning sun, the other to mimic the morning sky. He concealed the fixtures inside five bunker depressions around the perimeter of Liberty Island, beaming light at gradually increasing levels from the fort to the pedestal and to Lady Liberty herself, with the brightest light falling on her face and crown.