The Queens Wharf western building has started to come crumbling down.
After weeks of "complex" preparations beneath the fire-damaged building, including a floating pontoon to isolate and move utilities, work has begun to raze the eyesore.
While Novocastrians will not see a wrecking ball run through the joint, Demex, the company contracted to do the work, ripped down part of the southern awning with an excavator on Wednesday.
Demex senior project manager Ben Shum said the Queens Wharf job is both complex and unique.
"The level of planning involved hasn't been just one or two weeks, it's been over now four or five months to come up with a demolition work plan," Mr Shum said.
Mr Shum expects once the ball gets rolling, it could be two months before the building is levelled.
"These are the kinds of projects that you want to work on, they're challenging," he said.
Workers have been busy ripping out non-structural elements including plasterboard, the kitchens, carpet, floor lining and ceilings.
The old Blue Water Pizza oven from its previous life in the restaurant was still standing on Wednesday.
As for any other finds, Mr Shum said it depends what Novocastrians classify as "interesting".
"I think the fact that it has been derelict for so long, I think anything interesting is long gone," Mr Shum said.
Specialist equipment, including a high-reach excavator, will be brought in to help tear the remainder of the building down.
Work on the main structure will move from west to east, top to bottom, with two excavators working in tandem to demolish the building down to the ground floor slab.
Built as a Bicentennial project, officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1988, Queens Wharf has been a popular destination since its construction.
It includes two separate buildings, the western building which has been vacant and descended into a derelict blight on the harbour after a fire in 2020, and the Queens Wharf Hotel which continues to operate.
Only the western building is being demolished, with what will be built on the site to be decided by the council this financial year.
Revitalisation of the precinct had strong community support, with almost 1800 comments and 97 per cent of people endorsing the overall vision.
Newcastle lord mayor Gavin Morris said the demolition had been a "long time coming".
"There are lots of memories wrapped up in that building," Cr Morris said.
"But sadly, this building was not built to last. It had a short lifetime expectancy and that's somewhat overdue, so today it is the end of the old, but it's also the beginning of the new."
Cr Morris said he hopes a decision on the future of the space will be made by Christmas, but more likely early next year.
"It's a unique location, obviously it is going to be one that is going to be seen for many, many years, so we've got to get it right," Cr Morris said.
Once a developer is chosen, the concept will go through the usual City of Newcastle development application process, where the public will have the opportunity to make a submission.
