Orlando reveals Pulse nightclub artifacts preserved in secret warehouse

The iron-clad red front door. A golden chandelier that once hung over the dance floor. A decorated bar top encrusted with small pebbles. They are what remains of Pulse nightclub, the once-lively spot which closed forever following the shooting death of 49 people ten years ago.

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For the first time, the city of Orlando has unveiled its collection of artifacts taken from inside Pulse, which was demolished in March. The items have been stored away in a secret location while awaiting their possible inclusion in the city’s planned memorial to the 2016 attack.

Other artifacts taken from the club include its iconic sign that once stood prominently over Orange Avenue and posters advertising a July 4th celebration that never came.

The Items have since been carefully maintained in a climate-controlled warehouse, the location of which city officials have kept a tightly-guarded secret. Reporters and TV crews were allowed to view the items Tuesday — just ten days before the tenth anniversary of the Pulse massacre — on the condition that their location would not be disclosed in order to preserve their security.

Officials said the chandelier will most likely be included in the memorial, which is expected to be finished in September 2027. But the fate of the other items has not yet been decided.

The goal is to select artifacts that help victims’ families and other visitors understand what Pulse was before the tragedy: a place of joy and connection.

“[Artifacts] may be considered because they help tell the story of the people who came together there to celebrate, dance and build community,” said city officials. “Those artifacts provide an authentic connection to the space and the experiences that made Pulse meaningful to so many.”

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Kept alongside them are a collection of other mementos surrounding the attack: A signed statement from the United Kingdom’s Prince William and Princess Catherine offering condolences, a Time magazine cover featuring the names of those killed and heartfelt messages from children.

“Spread love like u spread peanut butter & jelly,” a heart-adorned sticky note from one child read.

The collection includes messages the city received from all over the world, ranging from Sydney, Australia, to Dublin, Ireland, and Amsterdam, The Netherlands. City officials hope the missives remind people of the global response of support Orlando received after the tragedy.

The long-sought memorial is expected to begin its year-long construction timetable this September, pursuing an ambitious goal set by Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer to complete the project by the time he leaves office in late 2027.

The memorial, estimated to cost around $12 million, will contain a reflection pool where the club’s dance floor once stood and an elliptical walkway with 49 columns, one for each of the “49 angels,” as the victims are known.

Survivors and victims’ families were allowed to go inside the nightclub one final time on the week of the massacre’s ninth anniversary last year.

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