Crews started demolishing the East Wing of the former St. Mary's Hospital in North Knoxville Tuesday.
Demolition is expected to take several weeks.
Crews are taking down the four-story building to make way for Lincoln Memorial University's new lobby and entrance on the satellite campus.
The new complex will preserve trees, plaques and any momentos left behind of the old St. Mary's Hospital wing.
While a good portion of the old hospital is slated for redevelopment, many of the original buildings will continue to stand. The LMU campus will teach nursing, business and criminal justice students in the hospital's Magdalene Clark Tower.
The city intends on renovating and repurposing the entire site, most notably to bring Knoxville police and fire headquarters, pension office and courts into one singular safety center.
The city said it hopes to begin construction on the new KPD/KFD headquarters this coming Spring with a goal of moving in by the end of 2021.