Statue of Liberty lit up for the first time since Hurricane Sandy on Friday night

The Statue of Liberty's lamp was being illuminated Friday for the first time since it was damaged by Superstorm Sandy, the National Park Service said.

The statue's famous beacon was expected to become visible by dusk, around 6:30 p.m., according to Marjorie Hall of the National Park Foundation.

The statue, one of the city's top tourist attractions, has been closed because of damage resulting from the storm that hit New York Oct. 29, with no estimate on when it will reopen to visitors.

The statue sits on a small island in New York Harbor. Its light can be seen from many vantage points around New York City.

The monument was being re-lit through temporary measures made possible by a donation of equipment and services from Musco Lighting to the National Park Foundation, which is the official charity of America's national parks. The temporary lighting will remain in place until permanent repairs are made.

Hall could not immediately say if the temporary lighting would look any different to the casual observer.

The lamp is held aloft by the statue's raised arm and marks the highest point of the 305-foot-tall (93 meters) monument, which was dedicated in 1886. "The New Colossus," a poem by Emma Lazarus engraved inside the statue's pedestal, refers to the beacon in its final line: "I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

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