ORLANDO, Fla. — After months of debate, the committee members tasked with developing a design for the Pulse Nightclub shooting memorial unanimously voted Tuesday to send the project to the second stage of design work.
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The final renderings included visuals of a reflecting pool, a water wall, an arc of columns, a private gathering space and lots of colorful glass.
It was a grand compromise between many different competing visions, one that committee members agreed largely captured the visions they had in mind.
However, there were two sticking points that will have to be sorted out by architects moving forward: where to place the names of the victims and whether one of the walls of the nightclub – the wall where survivors escaped from – should remain.
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In a sometimes intense discussion, some committee members argued for the wall to stand, while others opted for an abstract doorway that people could walk through instead. Most said they’d be in favor of a combination of the two.
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Mayor Buddy Dyer briefly addressed the committee, saying he wanted the construction finished by the time he left office in late 2027. That would put the groundbreaking sometime in the fall of 2026.
The city will hold a workshop to approve the memorial’s tentative design later this month and send the project out for bid. The next step is for architects and engineers to hammer out the final look while considering the city’s $7.5 million budget and engineering constraints.
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