De Blasio Again Pushes For Federal Funding As 9/11 Museum Announces $24 Admission Fee
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) - Mayor Bill de Blasio has again called on the federal government to lend financial support to the National September 11 Museum now that the admission price has been announced.
Adults will be charged $24 for admission when the museum opens this spring, the foundation board announced Thursday.
De Blasio said he hopes the museum will get that admission fee down as much as possible and called on Washington to step up.
De Blasio Again Pushes For Federal Funding As 9/11 Museum Announces $24 Admission Fee
"I think we deserve substantial federal funding for this museum and I don't think we're getting what we deserve and this is something I agree with Mayor Bloomberg on entirely. Let's face it, what can be more of a nationally important site than this?" said de Blasio. "It was a national tragedy and people come from all over the nation, all over the world to see it. So, of course, the federal government should play a role and that's something we're working on."
LINK: National September 11 Memorial & Museum
Memorial foundation president Joe Daniels said Friday that the cavernous, underground museum at the World Trade Center is now in its final months of construction and will open in mid-May.
Sept. 11 Museum To Open In Mid-May
Tickets will go on sale in March.
"This museum will both honor those killed and will tell the history of that tragic day, what led up to it and how our world has changed in the aftermath," said Daniels. "This site is going to be one that is worth the expenditure."
Those who have seen what the museum has to offer say it's a powerful, deeply emotional experience.
"Coming here today was very emotional for me," Charlie Wolf told CBS 2's Dana Tyler. "I believe that some people will not be able to get through the museum at first, it will overwhelm them."
WEB EXTRA: Photos From 9/11 Memorial Museum
The mayor deflected when asked about possible city funding for the museum.
"The bottom line is we're not going to speak about the financing from our side until we see something from the federal government. We have to hear a federal response here," said de Blasio.
Daniels said the museum might consider charging less if there were federal funding for operations.
The site is expected to have an annual budget of $60 million.
The museum will be free to the public for three hours every Tuesday evening. The museum will offer discounted admission fees for children, seniors and school groups.
Additionally, relatives of 9/11 victims will be granted free admission at all times.
"The Museum will be the global focal point for telling the history of one of our nation's most devastating events," Daniels said. "It will also serve as a testament to our collective resilience. Through artifacts, exhibitions, and first-person accounts, the Museum will preserve for generations to come the stories of ordinary people who showed boundless compassion for one another and of first responders who rushed into harm's way while performing their sworn duties."
The museum released photos Friday of its nearly complete exhibitions. It said there will also be multimedia installations, including a video of a bucket brigade of rescue and recovery workers at Ground Zero.
There will continue to be no cost to visit the memorial plaza with its twin reflecting pools.
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