Pulse nightclub is demolished, clearing the way for a permanent memorial

ORLANDO, Fla. (WPEC) — Pulse Nightclub, the LGBTQ+ venue on in Florida where 49 people were killed and 53 others were hurt in a 2016 mass shooting, was demolished on Wednesday morning.

The sign for the Pulse nightclub is removed by workers, Wednesday, March 11, 2026, at the memorial site of the 2016 mass shooting in Orlando, Fla., that killed 49. The sign will be preserved and displayed at the permanent memorial, slated to open in Fall of 2027. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP)

Construction workers began tearing down walls in the long-shuttered venue that were still scarred by bullet holes from the attack, when a gunman opened fire during a Latin night celebration before police killed him following a standoff.

The city of Orlando purchased the Pulse property in 2023 for $2 million and plans to build a $12 million permanent memorial that will open in 2027. The efforts followed a botched multiyear attempt by a foundation run by the club’s former owner to buy the property.

According to the Orlando Sentinel, the club’s original owner set up a nonprofit with grand plans for a memorial and museum — but survivors and victims’ families opposed, and the organization never came close to raising the funds needed for such a flashy design.

When the OnePulse Foundation fell apart, the city of Orlando stepped in, buying the property from the Poma family and taking control of the project, the media outlet noted. They formed an advisory committee made up of survivors, victims’ families, and others to guide the design.

For years, there was debate over whether to keep the nightclub itself as part of the memorial — one reason demolition took so long — but the committee eventually decided to tear it down.

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EDITOR’S NOTE: The Associated Press contributed to this report.