Organizers reveal newest designs for Orlando Holocaust Museum

ORLANDO, Fla. - Orlando’s new Holocaust Museum is set to rise on the site of the old Chamber of Commerce building, near Lake Ivanhoe. Talli Dippold, CEO of the Holocaust Memorial Resource & Education Center of Florida, promised the building to be beautiful, emotional, and safe. "We're constantly working on creating the most iconic museum possible for the community," Dippold said.

The newest architectural renderings for Orlando’s Holocaust Museum have some subtle, but definite differences from the plans that were first revealed, last year. "When you're building a guest experience, security has always been part of the planning from the very beginning," said Dippold.

While the museum’s leadership said the newest plans were not changed because of specific security worries, risk expert Dave Benson said the new designs did look safer for visitors. "The architect has skillfully put in a perimeter wall around what was previously open areas," he said.

The new design is supposed to resemble a shofar, a ram's horn used in some Jewish holidays. Benson said that layout would make it safer for people lining-up inside the exhibit space. He also pointed out the new grillwork in the building's main window. "Which will certainly deter wholesale destruction of the glass if there was an attack, and so all those things are very artfully put together."

If all goes to plan, they'll break ground next year and open their doors in 2026. The FBI and the Anti-Defamation League both say there's been an alarming rise in antisemitic incidents in Florida and nationwide. Members of Orlando’s faith community said that's why the city needed a museum like this. "This really is important in order to face all bigotry, to face this one form of bigotry," said Dr. Joel Hunter, Pastor at the Action Church and a museum board member, "and be able to somehow mitigate it and learn to love our neighbor."