When did Ellis Island close?

Ellis Island, the former immigration gateway to the United States, closed on Nov. 12, 1954, according to History.com. Between 1892 and 1954, Ellis Island processed more than 12 million immigrants.

The island remains open as of 2014 as part of the National Parks Service, according to the National Park Service website. The building center on the island is known as Ellis Island Immigration Museum. A presidential proclamation was issued to restore the island as a national park, but it took 25 years for restoration to occur. History.com indicates that about 40 percent of Americans can trace ancestry to Ellis Island as of 2014.