Excavators went to work on the Jean Burns building, at the corner of Terminal Avenue and Commercial Street in Nanaimo, on Sunday morning.
The downtown community has awaited the structure’s fate since it was heavily damaged in a major fire March 30.
Its owner, Jack Ball, who came out to watch a few minutes of the demolition work, said he is not planning to rebuild on the site. Cleanup of the site is expected to continue until about mid April.