9/11 museum visitors could be hit with hefty entrance fee

Could visitors to the 9/11 memorial museum have to shell out as much as $25 when it opens in September 2012?

Joe Daniels, president of the memorial foundation, told the City Council at a hearing Thursday that the fee — which could be a suggested donation — would be “comparable” to that charged by other “world-class museums.” The Metropolitan Museum of Art will soon suggest an admission donation of $25.

9/11 museum spokesman Michael Frazier, however, said that the museum hasn’t decided whether there will even be an entrance fee, and didn’t offer a timeframe for when that decision will be made.

A fee of some sort will have to be levied on visitors to cover the cost of operations and maintenance of the 8-acre memorial plaza, which is set to open this Sept. 11, Daniels said.

Relatives of 9/11 victims will not be charged an entry fees, Daniels added.