ORLANDO, Fla. \u2013 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. <\/p>\n
[WATCH: Drone video shows Pulse Orlando sign being removed]<\/p>\n
The sign at the site on Orange Avenue is being methodically disassembled and secured so pieces can be preserved, according to Orlando city officials.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Moments after the sign had disappeared from view, News 6 spoke to Orlando City Commissioner Patty Sheehan, who recalled the nightclub\u2019s opening.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was this place called the \u2018White Room,\u2019\u201d Sheehan said. \u201cAnd it was all white. And LED technology was brand new at the time. I remember thinking, \u2018Wow, this is so nice and we\u2019ve got such a beautiful club.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Sheehan, whose district includes Pulse, frequented the club for social events and fundraisers.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s going to be a lot more emotional for me \u2014 as a person who used to go to Pulse \u2014 to see the building coming down,\u201d Sheehan said. \u201cThat\u2019s a place I used to hang out.\u201d<\/p>\n
The commissioner also recounted the immediate aftermath of the massacre in the early morning hours of June 12, 2016.<\/p>\n
\u201cI could just hear the mothers screaming when they heard that their kids had died,\u201d Sheehan said, becoming visibly emotional. \u201cAnd that will stay with me the rest of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Orlando Torres\u2019 experience inside Pulse that morning will also remain with him for the rest of his life.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s where we escaped at the end of the night,\u201d Torres told News 6 Wednesday, referring to the side of the building that had been riddled with bullet holes.<\/p>\n
Torres was among the patrons who hid in the bathroom for hours, as they waited to be rescued.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re tearing down\u2026not only the bad memories of June 12, 2016,\u201d Torres said. \u201cIt\u2019s a lot of great memories \u2026with friends you shared a good time with during those years.\u201d<\/p>\n
[WATCH: New design images released for permanent Pulse memorial in Orlando]<\/p>\n