ORLANDO, Fla. – A swath of land near Pulse nightclub has been purchased to use as the future site of a museum meant to honor those who died in the June 12, 2016 mass shooting.
Officials with the onePULSE Foundation announced Monday that the 1.75-acre parcel at 438 West Kaley St. was purchased Friday for $3.5 million.
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The National Pulse Memorial & Museum will open in 2022 at the location of the massacre and surrounding properties.
"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 Pulse victim Eddie Justice. "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."
The money for the purchase came from $10 million in Tourism Development Tax the Orange County Board of County Commissioners awarded the onePULSE Foundation in October 2018 to help cover land acquisition and design costs for the museum.
"I congratulate the onePULSE Foundation on this significant step toward fulfilling its mission," Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said. "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."Â
The foundation is also attempting to purchase a small piece of property adjacent to Pulse to be used as part of the permanent memorial. That purchase would be made using private funding.
For more information about the organization, click here.