LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Construction crews have started tearing down the old Louisville Metro Police Department headquarters downtown.

The city decided to demolish the building because of its age and poor condition. 

The three-story LMPD HQ building at 633 West Jefferson Street and 7th Street was built in 1955. It includes public spaces, offices, a gym and holding area. Its life expectancy was expected to be about 65 years, which it has exceeded. 

Employees were moved out after an OSHA inspection found sewage leaking from the ceiling. 

LMPD moved its offices to the Edison Building on West Ormsby Avenue until a new headquarters is ready. The city is buying the AT&T building on Chestnut Street to convert the campus into a headquarters. The plan is for the new site to be in use by the end of 2023.

The demolition of the old building is expected to be done by the end of October. There's no word yet on what may fill the space.

The city applied for a wrecking permit to bring the building down in June, three months after the Downtown Development Review Overlay District Committee unanimously approved the city's request to tear it down because of its age and deteriorating condition.

A special permit was required because the building is potentially eligible to be listed in the National Register of Historic Places. 

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