The quake-damaged Reading Cinema car park in central Wellington will be demolished.
The Wellington City Council expected the demolition of the car park would begin before Christmas. Photo: RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King
The parking building, near Courtenay Place, was found to have structural damage following the recent 7.8 magnitude earthquake.
The area surrounding it was cordoned off three weeks ago over fears it could collapse in a significant aftershock.
Wellington City Council buildings manager Mike Scott said engineers' reports showed the building was so badly damaged it was not safe for anyone to enter.
Mr Scott said the council was working with the building's owner, Reading International, engineers and demolition experts to come up with a plan to safely take it down.
While there was still no timeframe for the work, the council hoped to begin the demolition before Christmas.