Published January 20, 2011

On this 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s electric inaugural address, Bostonians have more ways to pay tribute.

The JFK statue on Thursday (Steve Brown/WBUR)

The state on Wednesday reopened the Beacon Hill plaza where a statue of JFK stands. The plaza, located below the governor’s office, has been off-limits to visitors since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Access is still limited, though. Only visitors on an official State House tour will be able to have a close-up look at Jack’s statue.

Just once over the past decade, the AP reports, did officials briefly re-open the site: following the death of JFK’s brother, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, in 2009.

If you would rather pay tribute from the comfort of your living room, Comcast is now streaming Kennedy-era footage to viewers — including the inaugural address.

You can watch Kennedy’s Jan. 2, 1960, press conference to announce his candidacy —  can you imagine a candidate waiting that long nowadays? — and the pivotal Nixon-Kennedy debates.

The cable company has partnered with the JFK Presidential Library, which recently digitized a trove of Kennedy artifacts.

The material is available on Comcast’s “On Demand” channel until Feb. 25. Select the “Top Picks” menu and then “JFK 50 Years.”