ORLANDO, Fla. – When the families of the victims of the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting finally entered the building Tuesday, they didn’t see any furniture.
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer says the walls inside are black, as is the floor.
But there are still bullet holes, evoking tragic memories.
“It’s a very emotional thing, and each person’s got to experience it,” Dyer said ahead of the families’ chance to visit the site for the first time since the mass shooting nine years ago that killed 49 people and injured dozens more.
[WATCH video below to see tributes to mark 9 years since the Pulse shooting]
“You know, what it did for me is it took me back nine years,” Dyer said. “Reflecting on being in the command center on Orange Avenue as all the things are transpiring and, eventually, the shooting of the killer and then the realization of just how many people were impacted.”
It’s not the first time Dyer has been inside the building. He says he saw what it looked like after the shooting.
“I chose not to go in before it was clean, but after the FBI turned the building back over to the city, I was inside the building then, and I’ve been inside the building for the last month,” Dyer said.
[WATCH: Mother of Pulse nightclub victim prepares to enter site for first time]
Dyer said 25 of the 49 families accepted the invitation to go inside the site before most of it is demolished to make way for a new memorial the city is building to honor the victims.
“I think for the families that it will be helpful to their journey to actually see the place where their loved one passed away. And, I’m guessing that a lot of these families have never even seen the Pulse nightclub before, let alone have been inside it,” he said.
A few of the families will be brought to the site at a time, so they can experience the site in peace.
“We’re going to transport them here and then transport them back. We don’t want them having to immediately drive after going inside this again, we just don’t know how it’s going to affect some of the people," Dyer said.
[9 YEARS LATER: Pulse victims remembered]
City leaders felt now was the right time to let families tour the site to mark nine years since the shooting, because many families and survivors will be in town for memorial services Thursday.
The city expects to sign with a contractor to begin construction work on the memorial in July, Dyer said.
The city took over the plan to build the memorial after onePulse, the nonprofit that was working on the project, dissolved last year amid financial issues.
While the nightclub is now empty, some things remain. Dyer said the bathrooms, where many clubgoers hid and where hostages were held the night of the shooting, are still set up inside.
Meanwhile, the Orange County Regional History Center has meticulously collected and catalogued thousands of items that had been inside the club.
The history center has pictures of the entire One Orlando Collection on its website for viewing.
Dyer hopes the visits will give the families some closure as they wait for the permanent memorial to finally be built.
[BELOW: Rendering of the chosen design concept for the Pulse memorial]
“The 49 and the families and the other survivors deserve to have a place that memorializes those who were lost,” Dyer said. “A place that our entire community can reflect on what happened on this site.”
The city plans to have the memorial completed by the summer of 2027.
The design, events and more information is on the PulseOrlando.org website.
[WATCH Mayor Dyer’s news conference below]