Here at the Foundation, we are launching a new feature called Construction Chronicles to offer our insiders an update on the Foundation’s latest project to revitalize the museum on Ellis Island — the biggest project on the Island since the Museum opened more than 30 years ago.   

We’re providing a snapshot of the incredible work underway for this $100 million multi-year effort as we work with the National Park Service and our project partners on a National Museum of Immigration for the 21st Century visitor.   

Thanks to our supporters, the project is well underway, and we’ve already made remarkable progress on all fronts. In March 2024, construction began on our $100 million, privately funded project. The museum remains open to the public to welcome our visitors from here in the United States and around the world. Our contractors are moving in phases throughout the museum so that our visitors have plenty to explore. Significant work on the infrastructure has been completed, and our museum teams are working tirelessly behind-the-scenes to re-invigorate this American icon. 

Curators and historians are hard-at-work selecting artifacts to display in the iconic Baggage Room, which will also feature a new 120-foot-long screen to inspire visitors about Ellis Island.    

NPS curators and museum designers determine the best layout for the historic baggage that will greet over two million annual visitors at the entrance to the museum.

Construction teams have cleared the way and will soon pour the concrete to secure the base for the new grand staircase that will connect the 2nd and 3rd floors to help visitors navigate the museum. 

We will have more than 100,000 square feet of reimagined exhibits and interactive elements to tell the broad story of American immigration. In the coming months, construction teams on the first floor will begin to build new exhibits designed to engage all audiences. 

Specialists have been upgrading museum facilities including the heating, air-conditioning, electrical systems, and lighting to make the building more welcoming for visitors and to ensure that thousands of important artifacts will be preserved for future generations.  Among the improvements, our contractors removed the decades-old heating and air-conditioning systems from the attic and replaced them with new systems, installed in a more suitable location to make future maintenance easier.   

Construction crews under the purview of the National Park Service work to restore the iconic brick exterior of the building while we focus on renovating the interior of the museum.