Hoping to establish a permanent memorial to those killed, Orlando reaches $2.25M deal to buy Pulse nightclub
The city of Orlando has reached a deal to buy the Pulse nightclub for $2.25 million and plans to eventually transform the site of the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history into a memorial.
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer told the Orlando Sentinel on Monday that the city won't rush to change the club, once a mainstay in the gay community that has become a gathering place for visiting and local mourners alike.
"There are lots of people that are making a visit to the site part of their trip, part of their experience of Orlando, so I think 12 to 18 months of leaving it as-is would be appropriate," Dyer said.
In the meantime, the city plans to solicit ideas from the community for what form the lasting memorial should take. Dyer said the city hasn't ruled out leaving part of the club intact permanently, such as the roadside sign featuring its now-iconic logo.
The city's ultimate goal, he said, will be to "create something to honor the memory of the victims that are deceased [and] those that were injured, and a testament to the resilience of our community." – orlandosentinel.com
Some are saying that the $2.25 million purchase price is $600,000 over the actual value of the property.
Something different happened in Orlando than at Stonewall in New York City, but it does raise the question, if Stonewall does fall on financial times, would the city of New York come in and purchase it to either keep it running or to keep it as Stonewall as the city and national historical monument it is?
What do you think Instincters?
Would it be acceptable to keep it as an active club / business like Stonewall or should it be all converted into a memorial?
h/t: orlandosentinel.com