Demolition work has begun on Swansea's landmark David Evans store.
Concrete canopies surrounding the building have gone. Scaffolding is now going up ahead of full-scale work getting underway on Monday.
Experts say destruction of the building is a complicated process requiring specific machinery. It cannot be simply bulldozed.
The House of Fraser store has been closed since January 2005. A discount chain operated in it for part of last year before pulling out.
Historic medallions will be saved from the front of the old city centre site and if they can be removed intact, Swansea Council has agreed to display them in the gardens of Swansea Museum.
The demolition process will take between 16 and 20 weeks.A completion date for a new shopping centre going up on the land has been set for summer 2008. It will feature six new shops, including Zara, Slater Menswear and JT Morgan, which is moving from its current location in Belle Vue Way.
Council leader Chris Holley said he was pleased demolition was beginning.
He said: "People will soon be able to see work ongoing at David Evans as we move further towards a flagship scheme that will regenerate the city centre."
City centre shoppers yesterday said they were pleased to see work get underway.
Michelle Harris, of Uplands, added however: "Every time I go past it I miss David Evans. It is such a shame it has gone. There's not a lot left and I think a lot of work still has to be done to make the city somewhere people really want to go to."
City centre office worker Les Kelly, of Plasmarl, said: "I just wish David Evans was still there, but I am glad something is at last being done to what was becoming a bit of an eyesore."
