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Pulse Nightclub demolished decade after mass shooting
The Pulse Nightclub building in downtown Orlando has been demolished, nearly 10 years after 49 people were killed, and 53 others were hurt in a mass shooting at the LGBTQ club. The shooting happened on June 12, 2016. Nearly 300 people were inside the club celebrating Latin Night. At the time, it was one of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history. Over the last few weeks, several artifacts were removed from inside the building and preserved, including the iconic Pulse sign, as well as a portion of the dance floor. Those will be part of a future permanent memorial that will be built on the site, hopefully, by 2027.
ORLANDO, Fla. - The Pulse Nightclub building in downtown Orlando has been demolished, nearly 10 years after 49 people were killed, and 53 others were hurt in a mass shooting at the LGBTQ club.
The shooting happened on June 12, 2016. Nearly 300 people were inside the club celebrating Latin Night. At the time, it was one of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history.
Over the last few weeks, several artifacts were removed from inside the building and preserved, including the iconic Pulse sign, as well as a portion of the dance floor. Those will be part of a future permanent memorial that will be built on the site, hopefully, by 2027.
One of America's worst mass shootings
The backstory:
On June 12, 2016, Pulse nightclub in Orlando was the site of one of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history.
Hundreds of people were celebrating Latin Night at the LGBTQ nightclub, when a suspect entered the venue and began shooting.
In total, 49 people were killed, and 53 others were hurt.
The nightclub quickly became a symbol of LGBTQ resilience and grief, and the site has functioned as an informal memorial for survivors, families, and the wider community.
Remembering Orlando's 49 fallen angels
These are the names of the 49 people killed in the Pulse nightclub shooting. We will never forget them.
- Stanley Almodovar III, 23
- Amanda L. Alvear, 25
- Oscar A. Aracena Montero, 26
- Rodolfo Ayala Ayala, 33
- Antonio Davon Brown, 29
- Darryl Roman Burt II, 29
- Angel Candelario-Padro, 28
- Juan Chavez Martinez, 25
- Luis Daniel Conde, 39
- Cory James Connell, 21
- Tevin Eugene Crosby, 25
- Deonka Deidra Drayton, 32
- Simón Adrian Carrillo Fernández, 31
- Leroy Valentin Fernandez, 25
- Mercedez Marisol Flores, 26
- Peter Ommy Gonzalez Cruz, 22
- Juan Ramon Guerrero, 22
- Paul Terrell Henry, 41
- Frank Hernandez, 27
- Miguel Angel Honorato, 30
- Javier Jorge Reyes, 40
- Jason Benjamin Josaphat, 19
- Eddie Jamoldroy Justice, 30
- Anthony Luis Laureano Disla, 25
- Christopher Andrew Leinonen, 32
- Alejandro Barrios Martinez, 21
- Brenda Marquez McCool, 49
- Gilberto R. Silva Menendez, 25
- Kimberly Jean Morris, 37
- Akyra Monet Murray, 18
- Luis Omar Ocasio Capo, 20
- Geraldo A. Ortiz Jimenez, 25
- Eric Ivan Ortiz-Rivera, 36
- Joel Rayon Paniagua, 32
- Jean Carlos Mendez Perez, 35
- Enrique L. Rios, Jr., 25
- Jean Carlos Nieves Rodríguez, 27
- Xavier Emmanuel Serrano-Rosado, 35
- Christopher Joseph Sanfeliz, 24
- Yilmary Rodríguez Solivan, 24
- Edward Sotomayor Jr., 34
- Shane Evan Tomlinson, 33
- Martin Benitez Torres, 33
- Jonathan A. Camuy Vega, 24
- Juan Pablo Rivera Velázquez, 37
- Luis Sergio Vielma, 22
- Franky Jimmy DeJesus Velázquez, 50
- Luis Daniel Wilson-Leon, 37
- Jerald Arthur Wright, 31
Pulse Memorial plans
Plans to build a permanent memorial have been in the works for nearly a decade, but have been marred by a number of organizational and financial issues.
The onePulse Foundation was eventually dissolved in 2024. The City of Orlando then purchased the Pulse site and took over plans to build a permanent memorial.
New plans have taken shape that include a $12 million memorial, featuring an Angel Ellipse, a reflecting pool, Prism Plaza, and private gathering spaces. It will also include various artifacts from the Pulse Nightclub, some of which had remained until recently within the building since the night of the shooting.
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Permanent Pulse Memorial plans reach 'major milestone'
Plans for a permanent memorial honoring the victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando have reached a new milestone as the project moves through its design phase.
Pulse Memorial Timeline
- October 2023: City of Orlando buys Pulse site
- June/July 2024: Pulse Memorial Advisory Committee formed.
- July 2025: Design firm selected for memorial
- December 2025: Artifacts removed from inside Pulse Nightclub site
- March 10: Pulse Nightclub sign removed
- March 18: Pulse Nightclub demolished
- Fall 2026: Memorial construction begins
- Second half of 2027: Memorial completion
The Source: Construction crews demolished the Pulse Nightclub building on March 18, 2026. FOX 35 crews and drone crews were at the site as the demolition happened. Additional information pulled from FOX 35 reporting, and the City of Orlando's website on the Pulse Memorial plans, design plans, and timeline.