N.Y.C. Alters Met Museum Lease to Authorize Admission Fee
October 25, 2013 | Read Time: 1 minute
New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s administration has amended the city’s lease with the Metropolitan Museum of Art, formally spelling out that the museum is allowed to charge visitors a suggested entry fee, writes The New York Times.
The move is aimed at clarifying legal vagueness over Met admissions as the museum battles two lawsuits claiming its pay-what-you-wish policy violates its original 1878 lease, which mandated free entry. The Met has maintained that an agreement with the city in the early 1970s allowed it to charge admission, with the amount at patrons’ discretion, but that authority was never incorporated into the lease.
The amendment also allows the museum to charge for special exhibitions or make general entry fees mandatory with city approval, but Harold Holzer, the Met’s senior vice president for public affairs, said it has no plans to do so and “no plans to make plans.” The Times says it is not yet clear what the lease changes will mean for the lawsuits, which also claim that the Met deceives visitors into believing the “recommended” $25 admission fee is mandatory.
