ORLANDO, Fla. – Crews took down the iconic Pulse Orlando sign Wednesday, a significant step in plans to replace the site of the 2016 massacre with a memorial to the victims.
[WATCH: Drone video shows Pulse Orlando sign being removed]
The sign at the site on Orange Avenue is being methodically disassembled and secured so pieces can be preserved, according to Orlando city officials.
The black and white sign stood as a reminder of the longtime nightclub, as well as a beacon to the temporary memorial for the mass shooting that killed 49 people and injured dozens more.
Moments after the sign had disappeared from view, News 6 spoke to Orlando City Commissioner Patty Sheehan, who recalled the nightclub’s opening.
“There was this place called the ‘White Room,’” Sheehan said. “And it was all white. And LED technology was brand new at the time. I remember thinking, ‘Wow, this is so nice and we’ve got such a beautiful club.’”
Sheehan, whose district includes Pulse, frequented the club for social events and fundraisers.
“It’s going to be a lot more emotional for me — as a person who used to go to Pulse — to see the building coming down,” Sheehan said. “That’s a place I used to hang out.”
The commissioner also recounted the immediate aftermath of the massacre in the early morning hours of June 12, 2016.
“I could just hear the mothers screaming when they heard that their kids had died,” Sheehan said, becoming visibly emotional. “And that will stay with me the rest of my life.”
Orlando Torres’ experience inside Pulse that morning will also remain with him for the rest of his life.
“That’s where we escaped at the end of the night,” Torres told News 6 Wednesday, referring to the side of the building that had been riddled with bullet holes.
Torres was among the patrons who hid in the bathroom for hours, as they waited to be rescued.
With a fence behind him bearing the names of the 49 people killed, Torres suggested the Pulse sign and building have been symbols of both horror and joy.
“You’re tearing down…not only the bad memories of June 12, 2016,” Torres said. “It’s a lot of great memories …with friends you shared a good time with during those years.”
[WATCH: New design images released for permanent Pulse memorial in Orlando]
Design teams recently showed updated renderings that include a reflecting pool and a fountain wall. Items were removed from the nightclub in December to be preserved, and fencing went up around the site last month to begin construction staging.
Torres said he is ready to move forward, eagerly awaiting the completion of a permanent memorial.
“It’s long overdue,” Torres said. “Ten years. We felt like we were sentenced for ten years of agony, disappointment and delays.”
Sheehan acknowledged the frustration, pointing the blame at the onePulse Foundation, the now-defunct organization that was originally tasked with establishing a memorial before dissolving due to apparent financial mismanagement.
“They blew millions of dollars,” Sheehan said. “I don’t know what happened to it. People keep asking. Unfortunately, I guess it’s not illegal to run a foundation to the ground and waste millions of dollars. It should be. There should be some recourse on that.”
Sheehan said she is confident the current plans will come to fruition.
The city of Orlando is preparing to demolish much of the site to build a permanent memorial. That work is expected to begin on March 18.
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