ORLANDO, Fla. — One by one, crew members slowly hauled out large wooden boxes filled with chandeliers, posters, a cash register, the top of a bar, and other items frozen in time from June 12, 2016.

It was nearly all that remained inside the Pulse nightclub, where 49 people were killed during a mass shooting almost a decade ago.

Orlando officials said Monday’s artifact removal was an important step in finally building a permanent Pulse memorial, a goal long delayed by controversy and setbacks.

“I’m also very proud of the team today,” said Navid Erfan, Orlando’s facilities division manager, who oversaw the removal. “Because they’ve shown a lot of care and diligence in the process. It’s obviously a very sensitive process for a number of people.”

The sealed, specially built boxes were lifted onto flat-bed trucks behind the building and transported to a climate-controlled warehouse in Orlando, where the items will be stored until a permanent $12-million memorial is completed in late 2027.

All together, about 26 items were removed from inside the building just south of downtown Orlando.

City officials had notified survivors and family members of the victims last November through emails about Monday’s removal of the artifacts.

Most of those watching the removal — which lasted about an hour — were television crews and journalists. A small group of about half dozen people stood nearby, with some wiping away tears. They refused to comment.

Larger items — such as the flooring, which victims and family members had said holds a special significance for them — and the large Pulse sign overlooking Orange Avenue will be removed next spring, according to officials.

Most of the site will then be cleared, including the nightclub building itself, and construction of the memorial is expected to start in about a year according to a city timeline.

Other items removed on Monday were posters, promotional flyers, light fixtures and a large decorative frame that was hanging on a wall. Crews spent three days building the wooden boxes and loading the items into the boxes, Erfan said.

The items were packed with “archival grade” packaging materials to securely transport them to an undisclosed location, he said.

City officials said they have not yet decided whether all of the items will be part of the permanent Pulse memorial.

“We want to ensure their preservation during the design and construction phase,” said city spokeswoman Andrea Otero.

The city purchased the Pulse site in late 2023 and hired Gomez Construction Co. of Winter Park this year to launch the memorial’s construction.

The onePulse Foundation was originally tasked with creating a memorial. But those plans collapsed after accusations and lofty ambitions to build a $100 million memorial and museum with no ability to fund such a massive project.

The current preliminary plans for the memorial show a reflection pool where the club’s dance floor was located. It also will include an elliptical walk with 49 columns, one for each person who died, and a water wall that may display pairs of dancing shoes.

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