ABOVE: The Pulse Interim Memorial. (from onePULSE Foundation’s Facebook)
ORLANDO | The onePULSE Foundation took its next step toward creating the National Pulse Memorial & Museum with a $3.5 million purchase of land near Pulse nightclub in Orlando, the organization announced in a press release Sept. 16.
Scheduled to open in 2022, the museum will honor the 49 victims of the 2016 Pulse shooting. The 1.75-acre parcel of land purchased is located at 438 W. Kaley St.
The onePULSE Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating a memorial for the victims of the shooting and helping their loved ones heal after the tragedy.
“I congratulate the onePULSE Foundation on this significant step toward fulfilling its mission,” Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said in the release. “Complementing a memorial to honor and remember our 49 angels, the museum will not only serve as an important place for dialogue and education but also ensure Orlando’s incredible legacy of responding to our darkest hour with love, compassion and unity is shared with the world.”
In October 2018, the onePULSE Foundation was awarded up to $10 million Tourism Development Tax funding by the Orange County Board of County Commissioners for the design and construction costs for the museum.
“Orange County Government is proud to support projects that showcase the importance of diversity and inclusion in our region,” Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings said in the release. “Through education and advocacy, the onePULSE Foundation will ensure that guests visiting the museum understand its history and the significance of continuing the fight against hatred.”
The land the onePULSE Foundation acquired is about one-third of a mile from Pulse. The foundation is currently working to acquire even more land near the nightclub for the memorial, which will be privately funded.
“The museum will be a natural extension of the memorial and help ensure that we never forget what happened on June 12, 2016,” said Wilhelmina Justice, mother of Eddie Justice, one of the victims of the tragedy. “It will serve as a solemn but uplifting place to remember and pay tribute to each of the 49 lives taken, including my beloved son.”
For more information on the memorial development, visit onePULSEFoundation.org.
