Pulse nightclub to be demolished next month for memorial project

Credit: J.D. Casto

The city of Orlando has set a date for the removal of the Pulse nightclub sign and the demolition of the former nightclub building that has been left largely untouched since the mass shooting that occurred there nearly a decade ago on June 12, 2016.

The sign will be removed and securely stored by the city on March 10, while the building itself is slated for demolition beginning March 18, according to a city spokesperson. These new developments serve as the next steps in the process of building a permanent Pulse memorial at the site, located just south of downtown.

The city is holding a public meeting at City Hall to share a presentation on memorial design plans on Thursday, March 5, at 4 p.m. Those who can’t attend in person are invited to attend or view the meeting virtually.

City officials have acknowledged it’s a sensitive process, in no small part because the original yearslong attempt to finance and establish a memorial to commemorate the tragedy was ultimately abandoned after the nonprofit formed to do so — the OnePulse Foundation — dissolved in disgrace in late 2023. It was shortly before the nonprofit’s dissolution that the city decided to step in and take over the project of building a permanent memorial.

Some survivors and family members of the 49 victims of the 2016 shooting have expressed skepticism over the city’s handling of the project, however, pointing to fights they’ve had with the city over access to public records and certain city officials’ relationships to the OnePulse Foundation.

Still, the city has attempted to include survivors and family members’ input on the memorial process through the development of a memorial advisory committee. A tentative design for the memorial was approved by the committee last year, but finer details have yet to be finalized. Construction on the memorial is slated to break ground this summer, with an estimated completion in the second half of 2027.

The memorial’s construction is expected to cost about $12 million, $7.5 million of which has been dedicated by the city of Orlando. The Orange County government has also agreed to pitch in $5 million over the next couple of years, and the state has allocated nearly $400,000 in state funds to support the project. The city, however, will be responsible for maintenance and security once it’s built.

Construction fencing was already erected around the former club earlier this month, blocking access to the interim memorial wall. The fencing, wrapped with a purple and blue tarp, lists the names of all 49 shooting victims, many of whom were Hispanic, LGBTQ+ and “just wanted to dance.”

Construction fencing was erected around the former Pulse nightclub in February 2026. Credit: McKenna Schueler