The City of Orlando Removed Several Pulse Nightclub Artifacts Amid Plans for a Memorial

Since the tragic 2016 shooting in the beloved LGBTQ+ nightclub, Pulse that left 49 people killed, and 53 people hurt, the city of Orlando, Fla. has tried to make some good out of the painful circumstances. In 2023, the city purchased Pulse, with plans to renovate the space and turn it into a memorial.

The city's plans have shifted and been delayed as the city works closely with the Pulse victims' families and loved ones. In a 2025 update, Orlando removed some of the items from the original Pulse building for a greater purpose.

Here's what to know.

On Dec. 22, 2025, crews in Orlando began removing multiple artifacts from the original Pulse nightclub. According to the city's Fox 35 station, the crews removed the items in hopes that they will be used for a future memorial, which, as of this writing, has been a project 10 years in the making. The items will be stored in a facility until the building of the Pulse memorial is ready.

The city removed some of the items the club is known for, including the following:

• Two (2) chandeliers

• Signage and posters

• Ornamental framed mirror

• Bar top

• Track lighting including track
• Cash register

• Primary section of breach wall

• Portion of the sunburst wall inside the club

• Portion of the "Glitter" wall inside the club

• Wood floor (as much as possible)

• Rectangular ceiling pendent lights

• iPad

• The numbers on the outside of the building

• Tiles from the outside patio bar

While the list of removed items is extensive, the City of Orlando says the plan isn't concrete. Some of the items are also in talks of being saved from the temporary memorial, including a portion of the existing fencing, benches, and memorial items left by family, friends, and visitors.

While plans for Pulse's memorial came out in 2023, the design process for it won't happen until 2026. The timeline for the process states that design plans will start being published in February 2026. The city is projecting that crews will start the construction for the memorial in August 2026.

In February 2025, the Pulse Memorial Advisory Committee finalized the vision and conceptual design for the memorial.

The conceptual design included several renovations that remember the positivity the Pulse nightclub brought before tragedy struck the space. The renovations include a memorial and reflection space that will use the footprint of the original Pulse building, a survivor's tribute wall with seating and a designated survivor's tree, and the Angel Ellipse Site that will feature 49 Canopy columns with rainbow-colored glass panels to honor the 49 people killed. The City of Orlando projects construction for the nightclub will be finished by late 2027.

The original Pulse nightclub was demolished on the ninth anniversary of the shooting in June 2016. According to ABC affiliate WFTV, the victims' families and the shooting's survivors felt it was important to see the building one final time.

"They've said very clearly we want to see it for one last time before it's gone," City of Orlando Outreach and Engagement Coordinator Donna Wyche told the outlet. "We want to be in that sacred place one more time where our loved ones take their last breath," Wyche said. "It's part of the journey of grief."