CORAL SPRINGS, FLA. (WSVN) - An artist who built a temple to help those cope with the Parkland massacre believes it has served its purpose, and it is time for it go.
The Temple of Time, located along West Sample Road near North University Drive, will be ceremoniously burned down at 7 p.m., Sunday.
Artist David Best looked back at the masterpiece he designed that has since become an emotional South Florida staple.
“When I look at it, I don’t see the object,” Best said. “I see the interaction in the community.”
Best said the 30-foot tall structure was built in two weeks as a safe haven, where the community can spend time reflecting and healing following the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in February 2018.
“I see someone come in and using it and being able to be touched by it, so I don’t see the physical building. I see more of the spiritual part of it,” Best said.
But on Sunday night, the famed structure will be burnt down during a ceremonial burn hosted by the City of Coral Springs.
Coral Springs spokesperson Lynne Martzall said drivers should expect massive traffic delays ahead of the ceremony.
“We want to provide the safest burn possible,” Martzall said. “We will be closing Sample Road in both directions from Coral Hills Drive to University [Drive] starting at 5 o’clock. The burn is at 7 o’clock, and we ask that people come to our city hall for parking, and they bring their own lawn chair or blanket. There will be no seating provided.”
Best said when spectators see his work of art up in flames, he asks them not to see it as tragic moment but as a release of any pain or hurt they may be holding inside.
“If you’ve got something that you want to present, preserve and keep — the memory of a son who’s been murdered — this fire will preserve that,” Best said.
The burn is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m., Sunday.
Copyright 2023 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.