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Pulse nightclub demolition set for March to make way for memorial

The city of Orlando has also scheduled a meeting in which the public can view the memorial plans.

Pulse nightclub

Pulse nightclub

Anthony Constantine/Shutterstock

Demolition of the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, the site of a mass shooting in 2016, will take place in mid-March in preparation for the construction of a permanent memorial, local media report.

Forty-nine people were killed and 53 wounded by a gunman at the nightclub in the early hours of June 12, 2016. Most of them were LGBTQ+ and Latine. The gunman was killed by police. It was the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history up to that time but was surpassed by the shooting at the Route 91 Harvest music festival in Las Vegas the following year, which saw 58 people killed and 546 injured. The Pulse shooting remains the deadliest crime against LGBTQ+ Americans.

Related: Outrage after Florida quietly paints over Orlando Pulse shooting memorial

The city of Orlando took over development of the memorial after a private nonprofit organization, the onePULSE Foundation, was dissolved in 2023. Last year, the City Council approved the purchase of the Pulse property and an adjacent vacant building and selected Gomez Construction Co. to clear the site and build the memorial. It is scheduled to start construction this fall, with completion expected at the end of 2027, according to the city’s website for the project. The primary sources of funding for the memorial are the city, which has allocated $7.5 million; Orange County, which has committed $5 million; and the state of Florida, which has put in $394,000. The city is accepting private donations as well.

Related: Brandon Wolf won’t return to Orlando’s Pulse nightclub where he survived the murder of friends who never left

The design is slated to include a reflecting pool, a survivors’ wall, and 49 columns to honor all who died in the shooting. Artifacts were removed from the site beginning in December, including the sign, and placed in storage until they can be added to the memorial.

The city will hold a meeting March 5 at 4 p.m. to offer an update on the design plans. Members of the public can attend either in person or online.

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