Due to the inability to get government funding, the National Sept. 11 Memorial Museum in New York City is setting their entrance fee at $24.
On Thursday, the board of trustees voted and set the unusually high price for a museum. However, on Tuesday nights admission will be free for three hours and children, senior citizens and students always get discounted prices. Families who lost loved ones in 9/11 will never be charged.
“The 9/11 Memorial does not yet receive government support for ongoing operations as many other important museums of our national history do,” Joe Daniels, the Sept. 11 Memorial’s president said, Daily News reports. “A museum admissions [charge] will also ensure the Memorial, which has had more than 11.5 million visitors since opening two years ago, will be free.”
The ticket prices, in conjunction with sales from the concession stands, should cover about two thirds of the $63 million budget put in place for the project.
According to WSJ, Daniels said although he thinks “the federal government should play a role in supporting this project, it would be irresponsible for us to count on that."
Jim Riches, who lost his son in 9/11 and who is a retired deputy fire chief, isn’t happy with the board of trustees’ vote to charge a mandatory $24 admissions fee.
"Middle-class families can't afford $100 to go to the museum," he said, calling it “disfraceful.”
The museum will open in May.
image: Wikimedia Commons
