Orlando citizen board may preserve part of Pulse nightclub for memorial

ORLANDO, Fla. — An Orlando citizen’s advisory board is headed toward preserving a portion of the defunct Pulse nightclub — but not the whole structure — to memorialize the 2016 mass killing there.

The future of the nightclub building, a safe space for Orlando’s LGBTQ+ community until the massacre, long has sparked disagreement among victims’ families and survivors of the mass shooting that killed 49 people and wounded 53 others.

“A significant majority” of family members and survivors who joined the advisory board or shared their opinions want the building to be torn down, though a few want to preserve it, said Larry Schooler, who serves as a facilitator for the advisory group’s discussions.

“To me, it’s a sacred place,” said committee member Mayra Alvear Benabel, whose daughter Amanda died at Pulse. Demolishing it would be akin to erasing her daughter, she said. But its presence on South Orange Avenue creates trauma for others.

Both feelings are true, said Schooler, who urged the group to strive to understand rather than persuade.

The discussion came as three memorial designs were unveiled this week for the Pulse Advisory Committee, which met Wednesday and Thursday to discuss ideas, their preferences and their concerns for a permanent tribute to those killed in the massacre, their lives and those who survived. The group has been taking input and shaping concepts since earlier this year.

Schooler said memorial designers will likely return to the group in December with a refined concept that preserves parts of the former nightclub, “but does not assume the building will stay there fully intact as part of the memorial.”

He said those in favor of demolition wanted the Pulse sign, a chandelier and other features saved — and they wanted a final walk-through the nightclub.

Of the three designs, the first option shows a U-shaped covered walkway, held up by stone pillars with each victim’s name on them. The interior of the property has benches, shrubs, trees and a fountain dedicated to the 49 killed in the center. This option closely resembles a design originally produced for the now-defunct onePulse foundation, which led the memorial efforts before going belly up last year.

The second concept is highlighted by a pavilion in the shape of the nightclub building, with a water wall feature dedicated to the victims and a tribute to survivors. It has lawn space and greenery, as well as seating for reflecting.

The third is mostly open space with a reflecting pool and fountain, as well as a vertical beacon. Like the others, it has a lawn and trees.

Members of the public can weigh in at engage.orlando.gov.

Schooler, who worked on mass-shooting memorial efforts in Virginia Beach and San Leandro, Calif., plans to discuss the concepts with families and survivors for the next few weeks until the board meets again Dec. 12. At that meeting, the committee is expected to see refined drawings. It could choose a final design in January.

The city took over the memorial effort last year when it purchased the nightclub property for $2 million from the Poma family, who owned the nightclub and founded onePulse. The cost of the memorial remains unclear, though Mayor Buddy Dyer has said he expects it will take a public contribution to construct it.

Wayne Dunkelberger, chief creative officer of design for Baker Barrios, said the goal should be to create an homage to the community that made Pulse thrive. He suggested it would be difficult to save the aging nightclub building on South Orange Avenue as a whole, but would be more practical to retain pieces of the structure.

The firm’s work includes the HostDime Data Center which is visible from I-4 north of the Lee Road exit; the Kia Center and the Electronic Arts Sports headquarters in Creative Village near the University of Central Florida’s downtown campus.

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