Club Q is partnering with HB&A to rebuild the club with a brand new layout and a permanent memorial that will honor the lives lost in the shooting on Nov. 19, 2022.
The LGBTQ+ friendly club announced in a press release to announce the new agreement and provide other reopening updates on Jan. 19.
“Club Q is excited to announce it has signed an official agreement with HB&A to lead the concept design for the future layout of the Club and the design of the permanent standing memorial that will be outside,” the release said.
According to an article from ABC News, Matthew Haynes, the co-owner of Club Q, said that they plan to restructure the inside of the bar, make aesthetic changes and implement new security precautions.
“The biggest takeaway that this community has had, that I concur with, is that [the gunman] will not win,” Haynes told ABC News. “This man will not take away our space. This man will not destroy this community.”
There is also a continually growing memorial outside of Club Q that has served as an inspiration for the permanent one.
Stephanie Hanenberg, the assistant vice chancellor for health and wellness at UCCS, said that having this permanent memorial will establish a sense of togetherness and collective support within the community.
“I think it’s very important that we mark the significant event, we mark it together, so that we can have a sense of community, we can look around us and be able to say ‘I’m not in this all by myself,’” she said.
Hanenberg also thinks that creating and visiting memorials and vigils is an essential part of the healing process. She says they are a reminder of the community’s values and a way to honor everyone impacted by the shooting.
“Memorials, much like funerals, are for the living, for the people who are experiencing the space, the era, the fight,” she said.
So far, the reopening and permanent memorial plans have been well received by the community. Haynes told ABC News that he has heard many positive remarks since announcing these changes in the form of letters, donations and cards.
“There’s just been such an outpouring of kindness and so we’re very humbled to be in this position” Haynes told ABC News.
The Wellness Center continues to offer support to those in need. More information on the mental health services they offer can be found by visiting their website.
