Club Q remodel seeks closure, and a grand reopening, after Colorado Springs mass shooting

Stephanie Earls, The Gazette (Colorado Springs, Colo.)
·2 min read

Apr. 20—Five months after the deadly attack at Club Q in Colorado Springs, the nightclub's owners are moving forward with a planned remodel as well as a fundraising campaign to help pay for a permanent, on-site memorial honoring the victims.

Documents submitted this week to the city planning department show the proposed site changes and a rendering of a new exterior for the club off North Academy Boulevard, which has been closed since the Nov. 19 mass shooting there claimed five lives and injured more than a dozen people.

An amendment to the development plan submitted on behalf of club founder and co-owner Mathew Haynes by Springs-based HB&A Architecture and Planning describes upgrades aimed at enhancing the "safety, security, and visitor experience" in a "number of ways."

Among the improvements is a 767-square-foot "public-facing tribute area and boulder garden," depicted in the rendering as an open-air square at the building's southeast corner, anchored by a pole bearing the American flag above the Pride flag, surrounded by standing stones and backed by an expansive memorial wall.

Changes also include an expanded, uncovered patio area, enclosed in a tall masonry wall, and a front entrance that reflects and jibes with heightened safety protocols.

The submitted documents didn't include details about what's planned for inside the building, which club owners said earlier this year was headed for a total "gutting" before the end of April.

"We intend to use enhanced security measures, such as new screening technology and a hardened space," they said, in a Feb. 13 statement posted on Instagram. "We are working diligently with local, state and federal agencies on these enhanced security measures and hope it can become a model for countless queer spaces across the country."

Owners have said they expect to reopen by fall 2023, before the one year anniversary of the tragedy.

"Our goal and intention has always been to return Club Q as a safe space for the Colorado Springs LGBTQIA+ community and (we) will continue to tirelessly work toward that effort," read the February statement.

Early this month, the club launched a fundraising campaign selling branded merchandise to raise money for the tribute garden.

Limited-edition gear, including pint glasses, mugs and shot glasses featuring the "Club Q Strong" logo and a black remembrance ribbon, or a progress Pride flag and the motto, "These Colors Don't Run," are for sale at clubqonline.com and in the Springs at the Orbit Lounge, 411 Lakewood Circle, inside the Satellite Hotel.

"All proceeds will be used to complete design and architecture work, and construction on Club Q's permanent tribute to those killed, injured, and everyone impacted," according to a statement from the club posted on Facebook. "Once that project is completed, the funds will go towards returning Club Q to the community."

The Gazette's Rich Laden contributed to this report.