Pulse Nightclub Demolition Begins Ahead of Memorial Construction

A memorial dedicated to the victims of the 2016 Pulse Nightclub mass shooting is set to be built where the Orlando establishment once stood.

Demolition teams have begun tearing down what was once Pulse Nightclub in Orlando to make room for a monument to those killed and otherwise affected in the 2016 mass shooting.

It started with the removal of the nightclub’s now internationally known sign on March 10. Then, on Wednesday, they advanced to the building removal and site clearing stage.

According to NY1, the City of Orlando unveiled a “30% design update” for the $12 million memorial project on Thursday. They plan to share a 60% update on May 7, and then construction is projected to take one full year to complete after its planned September 2026 start.

“This was a sacred site to those who loved the 49 and anybody else that had visited Pulse,” said Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer at a Tuesday press conference. During the June 2016 homophobic shooting, another 53 people were injured before gunman Omar Mateen took his own life.

“This tragedy took more than lives,” said Dan-Michael Trbovich of Borrelli and Partners, one of the firms involved in the memorial’s design and construction. “It harmed people who survived.”

Initially, former Pulse Nightclub owners Barbara and Rosario Poma had formed the onePulse Foundation in an effort to raise $100 million to build a memorial. The victims’ family members voiced concern around the organization’s perceived lack of transparency and plans charge entrants for admission. The City of Orlando bought the property in October 2023.

“I’m ready to move forward,” survivor Brandon Wolf told Fox35 News. “I’m ready to see a beautiful reverent memorial be in that space where people can come, where they can reflect, where they can be close to their loved ones.”

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