Demolition work has begun for much of the 85-year-old Kakaako building that once housed the Honolulu Advertiser and Honolulu Star-Bulletin newspapers.

About half of the historic News Building, which was built in 1929, will be carved away to make room for a 10-story parking garage.

The garage is connected with a 400-foot condominium tower to be built on part of the 3.7-acre development called 801 South St., which also includes another condo tower and parking garage.

Project developer Downtown Capital LLC received approval from the state Historic Preservation Division of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources for the partial demolition as long as the building is documented and integrated with the condo project under federal guidelines.

The developer has said the portion of the building being demolished, which once housed a printing press, has few historical features and needed to be removed to make the condo project financially viable.

Downtown Capital plans to sell a remaining L-shaped front piece of the News Building facing Kapiolani Boulevard to Hawaiian Dredging Construction Co., which has a tentative plan to restore the property featuring significant architectural details for use as its headquarters.