THE PULSE NIGHTCLUB MEMORIAL
FROM VERNACULAR TO OFFICIAL
Margot McLaughlin
DISCUSSION OF TERMINOLOGY
[LGBTQ & QUEER]
LGBTQ and queer are used interchangeably in this thesis. I am aware of the discrepancy of referring to people in the past as LGBTQ before terminology was used. For this paper, the term queer is an allencompassing term to refer to individuals whose sexual and/or gender identities diverge from the societal norm that is heterosexual and cisgender.
[VERNACULAR MEMORIAL]
The phenomenon of placing memorabilia, as a form of social action, in public spaces, usually at sites where traumatic deaths or events have taken place. Also knowns as grassroots, or ephemeral memorials
LGBTQ Theme Study (NPS, 2016)
nyclgbtsites.org (2024)
Stonewall National Monument Designation (Wall Street Journal, 2016)
Two year anniversary at Pulse (Dix.Hite, 2018)
Year remembrance at Pulse (Dix.Hite, 2017)
What causes LGBTQ memorials to evolve from inception to a designed space, and how is that process influenced by the site's context, history and purpose?
VERNACULAR MEMORIALIZATION
What causes LGBTQ memorials to evolve from inception to a designed space, and how is that process influenced by the site’s context, history, and purpose?
COLLECTIVE MEMORY
LGBTQ HISTORY
VERNACULAR MEMORIALIZATION
What causes LGBTQ memorials to evolve from inception to a designed space, and how is that process influenced by the site’s context, history, and purpose?
COLLECTIVE MEMORY
LGBTQ HISTORY
“Unsanctioned vernacular performances of shared mourning are useful guides to understanding the ways that local communities choose to remember the past.”
Commemorating and Forgetting (Murrey, 2013)
Donovan Myrie CBS19 (2016)
WHAT HAPPENED AT PULSE?
Shooting at Pulse Nightclub, taking the lives of 49 people
OnePulse Foundation created and task force established
2017
Dix.Hite constructs interim memorial opens to the public
Property is sold to City of Orlando and OnePulse Foundation Dissolves
CASE STUDIES
STONEWALL NATIONAL
HARVEY MILK PLAZA NATIONAL AIDS
MEMORIAL GARDEN
National Parks Service
National AIDS Memorial Grove (Flickr 2018)
Google Maps (2024) Garden Lou (2021)
METHODOLOGY
SITE VISIT INTERVIEWS
• Orlando, Florida
• November 6th 2023
• Inventory and analysis on site
• Interviews with memorial visitors
• Photo documentation
• Voice recording documentation
• Chris Hite, Founder of Dix.Hite+Partners
• Kody Smith, CEO of Dix.Hite+Partners
• Two anonymous OnePulse Foundation board members
• Two Pulse Interim Memorial visitors
INVENTORY AND ANALYSIS OF CASE STUDIES
• Questionarre evaluating each memorial for six factors: time, movement, acknowledgment, management, inclusion, and context
• Evaluation of photography and maps
• development of standardized memorial phases
• timelines of memorial development
1912 S ORANGE AVE, ORLANDO, FL NOV. 6, 2023
METHODOLOGY
SITE VISIT INTERVIEWS
• Orlando, Florida
• November 6th 2023
• Inventory and analysis on site
• Interviews with memorial visitors
• Photo documentation
• Voice recording documentation
• Chris Hite, Founder of Dix.Hite+Partners
• Kody Smith, CEO of Dix.Hite+Partners
• Two anonymous OnePulse Foundation board members
• Two Pulse Interim Memorial visitors
INVENTORY AND ANALYSIS OF CASE STUDIES
• Questionnaire evaluating each memorial for six factors: time, movement, acknowledgment, management, inclusion, and context
• Evaluation of photography and maps
• Development of standardized memorial phases
• Timelines of memorial development
STONEWALL NATIONAL MONUMENT
NEW YORK CITY
• The Stonewall Inn was a popular gay nightclub founded in 1967
• The Inn was raided by police in 1969, causing a series of riots known as the Stonewall Uprising
• The uprising began the LGBTQ civil rights movement and lead to increased activism
• Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1999
• Designated as a National Historic Landmark by president Obama in 2016
HARVEY MILK PLAZA
SAN FRANCISCO
• Plaza constructed in late 1970s as transit station entrance
• Named in honor of Harvey Milk, important LGBTQ activist and politician who was assassinated in 1978
• Plaza remained with minimal changed for 45 years
• In 2017 the Friends of Harvey Milk was formed and an international design competition was implemented
• Historical Significant and National Register eligibility prompted construction delays
Google Maps (2023)
NATIONAL AIDS MEMORIAL GROVE
SAN FRANCISCO
• Idea created in 1988 by group of friends
• Located within Golden Gate Park
• Officially opened in 1991
• AIDS Memorial Grove Act of 1996
• Unsuccessful design competition in 2005
• Evolved over time
National AIDS Memorial Grove (Flickr 2024)
National AIDS Memorial Grove (Flickr 2015)
TRANSGENDER MEMORIAL GARDEN
ST. LOUIS
• Run by the Metro Trans Umbrella Group
• Opened in 2015 on Trans Day of Remembrance
• Moved locations in 2021
• Completely community-operated
• Bi-monthly volunteer days
PHASES OF MEMORIALIZATION
STONEWALL NATIONAL MONUMENT
Findings & Analysis
HARVEY MILK PLAZA
NATIONAL AIDS MEMORIAL GROVE
Findings & Analysis
TRANSGENDER MEMORIAL GARDEN
Findings & Analysis
PULSE INTERIM MEMORIAL
Findings & Analysis
TIMELINE OF MEMORIAL DEVELOPMENT
DESIGN ELEMENTS OF QUEER MEMORIALS
FACTORS:
TIME
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
INCLUSION MANAGEMENT
MOVEMENT
CONTEXT
TIME (Evidence of memorial artifacts)
NATIONAL AIDS MEMORIAL GROVE
events facilitating leaving artifacts
PULSE INTERIM MEMORIAL
space to leave messages
artifacts left by visitors
The Circle of Friends on World AIDS Day (Flickr 2010)
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
(Explicit acknowledgment of affected individuals)
NATIONAL AIDS MEMORIAL GROVE PULSE INTERIM MEMORIAL
HARVEY MILK PLAZA
Dix.Hite (2018)
National AIDS Memorial Grove (2024)
Google Maps (2024)
MANAGEMENT
Pulse Interim Memorial
City of Orlando
LOCAL SCALE
Transgender Memorial Garden
Metro Trans Umbrella Group (MTUG)
(Who manages and takes care of the site?) COMMUNITY-LED
Harvey Milk Plaza
City of San Francisco
PROFESSIONAL
Stonewall National Monument
National Parks Service
National AIDS Memorial Grove
NATIONAL SCALE
INCLUSION
(Who that this memorial intended for?) Transgender MemorialGarden
CONCLUSION
The scale of memorialization aimed for by the OnePulse Foundation may have been too large too soon.
Incremental changes over time are typically more successful.
Community Involvement is critical in decision-making.
Dix.Hite (2018)
Thank You