Karen Heller: How many Phila. museums is too many?

Down on Independence Mall, the people in shorts tour the sites. On this blistering summer day, the streets are truly historic. They smell of horse. The free exhibits, funded by the federal government, are full, as are the gift shops hawking Ben Franklin tees, two for $30. Most visitors are only looking.
It's a long summer in a dismal economy.
Philadelphia is the cradle of liberty, and also a hub of historical museums. The National Museum of American Jewish History and the American Revolution Center (ARC) will eventually join the crowd, the former planning to open in November 2010, the latter who knows when.
Both institutions intend to charge for entry. "We want to set our admission fees at a competitive level," says NMAJH president Michael Rosenzweig. The National Constitution Center nearby charges adults $12 for general admission, an additional $5.50 to tour the current exhibit. Adults happen to be anyone over the age of 12.
Free is an appealing incentive, so it's hard to compete with the National Park Service properties. I keep thinking about the Hankses of Corpus Christi, Texas. The family of four recently skipped the Philadelphia Museum of Art after its pay-what-you-want Sundays were scaled back to the first of each month.
"We don't have enough time, and for that price I just said no," Jackie Hanks told The Inquirer's Jennifer Lin. That price was $32 for two adults, since children 12 and under visit for free. At the Constitution Center, where children pay $13.50 for the total package, the Hanks family would pay $62.
When it comes to cultural riches, civic boosters cheer the more the merrier. But the counterargument holds sway as well: The more the needier.
Museums eat money. They need operating revenue, development funds, an endowment. They crave donors. They compete for visitors, which makes them hunger for blockbuster shows to keep attendance high. There's concern that with so many big museums charging admission in a withering economy, some organizations will suffer.
In 2007, 8 million people visited Independence Park, eight times as many patrons as those who paid to tour the Constitution Center. What happens to the center's attendance once ARC opens?
"Too many museums is a real concern, as history museums all over the country are experiencing declining visitations and mounting deficits," says Penn history professor Rick Beeman, a Constitution Center trustee, and a scholarly advisor there and at ARC.
"Our defining identity is our history," says the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance's Peggy Amsterdam. "But I do feel the pain for a family of four, whether it's going to a museum or the zoo."
A citywide cultural pass would be a logistical nightmare in accounting and fund distribution, Amsterdam says. A few museums bundle together in tour packages that combine culture with duck-boat rides.
"Institutions are struggling. They're under significant stress," says Pew Charitable Trusts CEO Rebecca Rimel. "They get extremely excited about new facilities but don't always do well in developing business plans. The need for funding is extremely acute."
The Kimmel Center is a cautionary study in plenty of sizzle in opening, but less attention to the nitty gritty of long-term sustainability. The Jewish Museum has $120 million in hand for $135 million in estimated construction costs. Even if it reaches the campaign goal of $150 million, that will leave only $15 million for endowment and funding.
"The worries of sustaining all these institutions is justified," Beeman says. He wants some accord, rather than competition, among the various museums. "You cannot understand the Constitution without understanding the revolution." It would be a shame, he argues, to visit one museum and not the other.
The trick is making these various historic centers flourish in an increasingly crowded and expensive marketplace