New York will provide $2.2 million to expand free Sunday admission at the 9/11 Memorial Museum for people who live or study in the state, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced.
Beginning in October, the New York First Sundays program will offer free admission every Sunday afternoon for one year. The program currently provides free admission on the first Sunday of each month.
The expansion is expected to allow thousands more New Yorkers to visit the museum during the year following the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
New York First Sundays was initially funded by the Andrew Carnegie Foundation. State funding will extend the program from monthly to weekly access while retaining its focus on New York residents and students.
Hochul said the expanded schedule is intended to give more New Yorkers, including those too young to remember the attacks, an opportunity to learn about the events and those who were killed.
Beth Hillman, president and CEO of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, said many people using the existing program have been visiting the museum for the first time. She said weekly access will allow additional visitors to reflect on the attacks and their aftermath.
The 9/11 Memorial & Museum occupies eight acres of the 16-acre World Trade Center site. It commemorates the 2,983 people killed in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and the Feb. 26, 1993, bombing.
The museum uses exhibitions, education programs and commemorative events to document the attacks, their effects and their continuing significance. Museum officials say that work is particularly important for people born after 2001 or too young to remember the attacks.
Eligible visitors can reserve tickets through the museum's website. The expanded weekly program is scheduled to begin in October and continue for one year.
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