There was a groundbreaking ceremony held in Boston on Sunday for a special memorial honoring the nearly 500 people who lost their lives in the city's historic Cocoanut Grove nightclub fire more than 80 years ago.
Tuesday marks 81 years since the tragedy that occurred on Nov. 28, 1942 -- what is the deadliest nightclub fire in U.S. history.
Some of the family members of survivors admit it's been too painful to be near the area close to where that nightclub was, but now there's a feeling of peace knowing that a memorial will stand in Statler Park so people always remember that day and how far we've come with fire safety.
"May everyone who comes to visit or pass by this holy place pause for a moment, and remember them in thoughtful prayer," a fire official said at Sunday's ceremony.
Lesley Kauffman's 99-year-old mother is one of the last two living survivors of the deadly fire. Her mom, just a teenager at the time, lost her fiancé in the blaze.
"Now, with this memorial, all the people who lost their lives and those who survived, and all of their loved ones will have a place not to avoid but rather a place to remember, and reflect," Kauffman said.
Like Kauffman and her family, former and current city leaders, first responders and those part of the Coconaut Grove memorial committee admit this monument design has been a thought for years but painful to actually finalize -- 490+ names of innocent victims displayed is tough to comprehend.
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The fire prompted major changes of building codes in the city, like advances in the treatment of burns, sprinklers required in restaurants and nightclubs, and mandating emergency exits open out with illuminated signs while revolving doors either have to collapse or have conventional doors on either side.
Leonard Golder lost a cousin he never met and he's pushing for more changes. He says she was sitting in the area right where the fire started. What caused the blaze is still unknown.
"We need to be vigilant, and prepared to prevent future tragedies that have never occurred, because those are the ones that could cause us even more harm in the future," he said.
The memorial's design is a replica of what the entrance to the Cocoanut Nightclub looked like. Its installation is planned for September 2024 in Statler Park.
