Another part of Ellis Island open to public
ELLIS ISLAND, N.J. -- Abandoned and fallen into disuse for decades, a significant piece of American immigrant history is reopening on Ellis Island following extensive restoration.
Parts of the island were opened to the public in 1990, for the first time since the immigration complex was shut down in 1954, but few people have been able to explore the rest of the historic island, including 30 shuttered buildings closest to the neighboring island where the Statue of Liberty stands.
On Monday, the first of those buildings will be reopened, a development that historians say is long overdue.
"Every square inch has significance to American history," said Kenneth T. Jackson, a history professor at Columbia University.
The newly restored structure is the Ferry Building, where many new Americans caught rides off the island to begin their new lives after passing a maze of legal and health inspections.
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Parts of the island were opened to the public in 1990, for the first time since the immigration complex was shut down in 1954, but few people have been able to explore the rest of the historic island, including 30 shuttered buildings closest to the neighboring island where the Statue of Liberty stands.
On Monday, the first of those buildings will be reopened, a development that historians say is long overdue.
"Every square inch has significance to American history," said Kenneth T. Jackson, a history professor at Columbia University.
The newly restored structure is the Ferry Building, where many new Americans caught rides off the island to begin their new lives after passing a maze of legal and health inspections.