The One Orlando Collection Initiative – a partnership between Orange County Government and the City of Orlando – began on June 27 at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts (DPC) and Lake Eola to preserve memorial items of the Pulse Orlando nightclub tragedy for the long-term memory of the community.
Orange County’s Regional History Center will be the repository for the physical and digital memory of the Orlando Pulse nightclub tragedy, which occurred on June 12, 2016.
In partnership with the Historical Society of Central Florida, the City of Orlando and numerous other community partners and stakeholders, Orange County’s History Center will, collect items from various temporary memorial sites so that they may be curated in the future.
Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs visited with history center staff at the Dr. Phillips Center memorial site on Monday morning.
“It is important to let the community know that our goal is not to take this away, but to preserve and protect these items for future generations to come,” Mayor Jacobs said as she visited the memorial. “This event has been such a hurtful part of our history, but it is a very important part of our story and we want to be sure to share the love and unity of our community with our residents and visitors alike.”
Non-perishable items will be stored and safeguarded by museum staff for the sake of history and posterity, as well as possible future use in Pulse memorial exhibits, tributes and, or museums. Flowers will be collected regularly, and organically turned into soil that will be used in gardens throughout the City of Orlando, via composting.
“The One Orlando Collection captures our community’s overwhelming response to this horrific tragedy” said Michael Perkins, museum manager. “We are dedicated to preserving these cherished items for our community.”
The One Orlando Collection Initiative will be working collaboratively with all local, regional and impacted individuals, institutions and agencies toward the goal of expanding our shared understanding of these defining events and their continuing legacies. Orange County’s Regional History Center will also be collecting other items related to the Pulse tragedy, including photographs, digital memories, videos, spoken stories, social media postings, artwork and other remembrances, so these memories will be available for future generations.
