Demolition has begun on the former Tuscaloosa News building on Jack Warner Parkway across from Mercedes-Benz Amphitheater.

The work is clearing the way for the new Saban Center.

The Tuscaloosa City Council voted back in August on a demolition contract. That work is set to be finished early next year.

City leaders said they expect to break ground on the Saban Center in April.

It will be a unique STEM and the arts campus where education, experience and innovation meet. It includes community partners at TCT and IGNITE, formerly Children's Hands-On Museum, plus public-private educational partnerships spanning the state. It will be a hub for education training, arts participation and academic support for teachers and families.

The project has been in the planning stages since 2022.