We all remember that faithful day in 2001….when the dastardly deed was done…..and after many years and many setbacks the museum dedicated to that day will be finished soon and open to the public……a memorial to those that lost their lives on that day……a place of remembrance and reflection…..
But if you plan on showing up to see the place or offer your prayers or just to cure your curiosity…..then be sure to bring your wallet!
(Newser) – A somber visit to New York City’s planned Sept. 11 museum will also be an expensive one. The board of the National 9/11 Memorial and Museum yesterday voted to charge adults a $24 admission. That places it among the city’s priciest museums (the Guggenheim is at $22, MoMA at $25), and the New York Daily News points out that unlike places like the Metropolitan Museum of Art, it’s not a suggested donation, but a required fee. Memorial president Joe Daniels cited the lack of government funding to pay for operational costs. “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,” as it currently is.
The AP reports that the museum is scheduled to open this spring; the total annual cost of operating the museum and memorial is estimated at $63 million. Families of Sept. 11 victims won’t be charged, and there will be a three-hour free window each week. Philip Kennicott at the Washington Post writes that the price tag “just doesn’t feel right,” and worries that the museum will feel pressure to be entertaining to justify it. He predicts that many people looking to pay their respects will skip the museum and do so at the free memorial. (Read the intriguing story of one of the items being prepped for inclusion in the museum, the “Angel of 9/11.”)
Now I have a problem with that…..how much public money was used to construct this massive mausoleum? what does the cash go for once I have paid my entrance fee?
Questions! I have questions!
How about you?
The budget for the Memorial and Museum project, funded by private and public funds, is $530 million, with an additional $80 million grant from New York State for the construction of the museum pavilion. Of the $530 million, $350 million has been raised by the National September 11 Memorial & Museum through private donations and the remainder consists of federal grants through the LMDC.
and yes – – I would like to know where the admission fees are going too. I would hope they are not being funneled to a Political Action Committee or something like that.
If it gores into a general fund then it can go anywhere they like……sorry, the entry fee should be zero…..if it is a memorial it should be free……I do not want to see anyone profiting from death….