Pulse nightclub demolished ten years after massacre that killed 49; memorial to take its place

A memorial to honor the victims of the mass shooting is set to open in late 2027.

Pulse nightclub has been demolished ten years after the mass shooting that killed 49 people marked one of the deadliest massacres in American history.

The gay nightclub was officially torn down on Wednesday (March 19). The club first opened in 2004, by Barbara Poma and Ron Legler to honor the memory of Poma’s brother.

Per KATV, the city of Orlando, which bought the property for $2 million in 2023, is set to construct a $12 million memorial for the victims of the mass shooting ten years ago, the second-deadliest mass shooting in the United States.

Pulse was hosting a Latin-themed night on June 11, 2016, when gunman Omar Mateen opened fire on the majority Puerto Rican and Latino crowd, killing 49 people and injuring 53. According to authorities, Mateen used legally purchased arms, including an AR-15 style rifle and a handgun, and during the shooting, he called 911 and pledged allegiance to the leader of ISIS. After killing and holding many of the club’s patrons hostage, Mateen was killed in a shootout with law enforcement almost four hours after he first attacked the nightclub.

A memorial that honors the victims and survivors of the Pulse nightclub shooting is set to open in late 2027, according to WFTV 9. Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer told the local channel that watching the demolition was an emotional moment.

“I teared up yesterday; I wasn’t expecting that,” Dyer said to the outlet. “Today, it seems more like not remembering the past, it’s moving on to the future, and actually creating the memorial. I think each individual is in a different place in their healing and recovery. I don’t think there’s one emotion that encapsulates everybody.”

In 2021, former President Joe Biden named the site of Pulse nightclub a national memorial on the fifth anniversary of the tragedy, saying, “We must drive out hate and inequities that contribute to the epidemic of violence and murder against transgender women — especially transgender women of color.”

The South Florida Sun Sentinel reported that the club’s owners tried to create their own OnePulse nonprofit after the shooting, with plans to open a museum and memorial. The idea was unpopular with the families of the victims and other survivors for being too flashy and extravagant, which ultimately led to the city overtaking the property and moving forward with its own plans for a memorial, designed using an advisory committee comprised of survivors and family members of the victims.