What: Transfer of the 49 White “Pulse” Tribute Crosses from the Orlando Health campus to Orange County’s History Center.
Where: The transfer will begin at the corner of Miller St. and Orange Ave, just south of the ORMC emergency department and will be led by a police escort to the final destination at the History Center.
- LOCATION #1: Orlando Health campus (southwest corner of Miller St. and Orange Ave., next to Lake Beauty and alongside the current display of the crosses). Ceremony will take place on Miller St., which will be shut down for the event.
- LOCATION #2: The Orange County Regional History Center (65 E. Central Blvd, Orlando FL 32801) Ceremony will take place in the main plaza, corner of Central Blvd and Magnolia Ave
Who: Orlando Health President David Strong, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and other dignitaries will preside over the Orlando Health ceremony at Location #1. Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs, Museum Director Michael Perkins and Historical Society President Jeff Jakubik will preside over the acceptance ceremony at Location #2.
When: Tuesday, July 12
LOCATION #1: 8:30AM – 9 AM at the Orlando Health Campus
TRAVEL: 9:15AM – 9:30AM Orlando Police Department will provide a motorized escort for the crosses as they travel via 24’ truck north on Orange Avenue to the History Center
LOCATION #2: 9:30AM at History Center
What: After a brief ceremony at Orlando Health, the crosses will be draped with individual shrouds, and loaded into a large truck and vans. The truck and vans will travel with OPD escort to the History Center, where they will be unpacked and ceremonially presented in a brief program at the History Center Plaza. Interview, photo and video opportunities available at both locations.
Background on the 49 crosses: The crosses were designed by artist Gary Zanis, who traveled 1200 miles from his home in Illinois the week following the Pulse nightclub shooting to place the white wooden crosses alongside Lake Beauty on the Orlando Health campus, just outside Orlando Regional Medical Center. Since then, the crosses have become a memorial for each of the 49 victims of the shooting.
Background on The One Orlando Collection Initiative. The Orange County Regional History Center is the repository for the physical and digital memory of the Orlando Pulse Nightclub tragedy, which occurred on June 12, 2016. In order to preserve history and properly care for the many thousands of tribute items, the One Orlando Collection Initiative has been established. Working through the Orange County Regional History Center, and in partnership with the City of Orlando, Orange County is collecting and preserving memorial and tribute items for the long-term memory of our community. The Center will serve as the repository and caretaker for non-perishable physical items; flowers and other organic materials are being composted by the City of Orlando for use in gardens throughout the City.
The One Orlando Collection Initiative will be working collaboratively with all local, regional and impacted individuals, institutions, or agencies toward the goal of expanding our shared understanding of these defining events and their continuing legacies.
The Orange County History Center will be actively removing items from the various temporary memorial sites in order to preserve them for the long-term memory of our community. The History Center will also be collecting other items related to the event, including photographs, stories, social media items, artwork, and more, so these memories will be available for future generations. To share a memory or story, please contact the Orange County History Center at oneorlandocollection@ocfl.net. For detailed information visit www.thehistorycenter.org
