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Pulse nightclub demolished to make way for memorial site nearly ten years

7 articles | Updated 4h ago | Created 4h ago
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Crews began demolishing the shuttered venue on Wednesday morning, with an excavator arm striking its roof just before noon. The destruction of this landmark LGBTQ-friendly club marks a decade since it was transformed into one of America's deadliest massacre sites by killing at least forty-nine people inside and another two outside during their escape attempts in 2016.

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    Crews began demolishing Pulse nightclub on Wednesday to clear space for a permanent memorial.
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    The demolition occurred nearly ten years after forty-nine LGBTQ+ individuals lost their lives in an attack at the venue.
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Crews began demolishing Pulse nightclub on Wednesday to make way for a memorial that will pay tribute to the 2016 mass shooting.

— [Mar 18, 21:09] (Abc7chicago)

The arm of an excavator dug into the roof at about 9:02 Wednesday morning and within two hours much of the building was reduced to a pile of concrete, wood, and metal.

— [Mar 18, 19:39] (Spokesman)

The City of Orlando has completed just thirty percent of the permanent Pulse nightclub memorial design as demolition proceeds nearly ten years after forty-nine people were killed in a massacre at one of America's deadliest massacres.

— [Mar 18, 20:35] (Independent.co.uk)

"Nearly half-a-dozen police cars" and an orange crane struck the dark gray stone building where four nine victims died during what was described as a deadly massacre in U.S. history by NBC News.

— [Mar 18, 20:35] (NBCNews)
Pulse nightclub demolished to make way for memorial to 2016 mass shooting
Pulse nightclub is demolished, nearly 10 years after the mass shooting - Wed, 18 Mar 2026 PST
Pulse nightclub to be demolished, making way for memorial to the 2016 mass shooting
Nightclub where 49 people were killed in mass shooting is torn down
Orlando starts demolition of Pulse nightclub where 49 were killed to make way for permanent memorial

The City of Orlando began demolishing Pulse nightclub on Wednesday morning after nearly ten years and months of preservation efforts by city crews. The site will be replaced with an approximately $12 million permanent memorial featuring water walls, a fountain, seating areas, plaques for all 49 victims' names, while survivors like Cesar Rodriguez plan to witness the teardown in person despite its emotional difficulty.