Orlando tears down ‘horrific’ Pulse sign. Survivor Brandon Wolf says it once meant safety

A sacred spot in Florida is edging toward recovery. Nearly a decade after a gunman opened fire inside Orlando’s Pulse nightclub, killing 49 people in what was then the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history, the towering sign that once marked the entrance to the LGBTQ+ venue has been removed. It was the next step toward dismantling the building and replacing it with a permanent memorial.

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“For a long time, the Pulse sign was a signal of safety for me, a physical monument to community that taught me to be proud of who I am,” Pulse survivor and LGBTQ+ advocate Brandon Wolf told The Advocate. “Then, ten years ago, that sign became synonymous with the horrific night that turned our lives upside down and stole the ones we love.”

Pulse nightclub shooting survivor and No NRA Money spokesperson Brandon Wolf is hugged during a rally for nightclub and Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School survivors in front of Orlando City Hall on June 11, 2018, in Orlando, Florida.Joe Raedle/Getty Images

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Early Wednesday, crews lowered the iconic Pulse sign by crane as the City of Orlando prepares to demolish the long-closed nightclub and move forward with a memorial project expected to be completed in 2027. For years after the June 12, 2016, massacre, the building remained largely intact, its exterior covered in flowers, photos, and handwritten messages that transformed the site into a shrine.

Wolf was inside the club the night of the attack and survived by hiding in a bathroom as the shooting unfolded. Two of his close friends, Christopher “Drew” Leinonen and Juan Guerrero, were among those killed.

The tragedy reshaped Wolf’s life. In the years since, he has become one of the most visible public voices among Pulse survivors, carrying the memory of that night into vigils, rallies, congressional hearings, and national media appearances as he advocates for LGBTQ+ equality and action on gun violence.

Now based in Washington, D.C., he serves as the Human Rights Campaign's national press secretary and regularly speaks at public events about the shooting and its aftermath. Before joining HRC, Wolf worked as a spokesperson for Equality Florida, the state’s largest LGBTQ+ advocacy organization. Wolf is also the author of the memoir A Place For Us, which reflects on grief, chosen family, and the path from tragedy to activism.

Brandon Wolf, a survivor of the Pulse Nightclub Shooting, listens during a House Oversight Committee hearing titled "The Rise of Anti-LGBTQI+ Extremism and Violence in the United States" at the Rayburn House Office Building on December 14, 2022 in Washington, DC. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

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The removal of the sign signals the beginning of a long-delayed transformation of the Pulse site.

For nearly a decade, the building stood largely unchanged amid controversy surrounding earlier memorial plans overseen by the now-defunct onePULSE Foundation. Survivors and victims’ families raised concerns about transparency and the direction of the project, and the nonprofit eventually dissolved. In 2023, the City of Orlando purchased the property for $2 million and assumed responsibility for creating a permanent memorial.

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City officials say the memorial will include 49 illuminated columns honoring each victim, a reflection pool, and gathering spaces designed for survivors, families, and visitors seeking a place for remembrance.

Artifacts from inside the nightclub, including chandeliers, posters, and the bar top, have already been removed and placed in climate-controlled storage, where they may later be incorporated into the memorial design. The sign itself will also be preserved as part of the site’s history.

Christine Leinonen (C), mother of Christopher "Drew" Leinonen, killed in the Pulse nightclub attack in Orlando, Florida, is joined by survivors Brandon Wolf (L) and Jose Arriagada during the Democratic National Convention at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, July 27, 2016. SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images

Last June, ahead of the ninth anniversary of the massacre, Wolf told The Advocate he would not return inside the condemned building, saying the site of the tragedy is where he feels closest to the people “who were stolen” from him and that, for survivors, stepping back into the club means returning to “the worst night possible.”

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Other survivors say the moment is both emotional and overdue. Orlando Torres, who also survived the shooting by hiding in a restroom for hours during the attack, told Orlando NBC affiliate WESH that seeing the sign come down stirred complicated feelings after years of waiting for a permanent memorial.

Torres said survivors and victims’ families have endured nearly a decade of “agony, disappointments, and delays” as plans for the site repeatedly stalled.

But as the tenth anniversary of the massacre approaches, the community is preparing for the next chapter.

“Seeing it finally come down brings up a range of emotions, but most of all, I’m relieved that we are finally making progress toward the reverent, respectful memorial space that people deserve,” Wolf said.