According to sources familiar with the situation, The Birmingham News may receive a construction permit that would allow for the demolition of its 1917 structure and its replacement with a parking lot as early as this afternoon.

The construction permit for the new surface parking facility at the intersection of 4th Avenue North and 22nd Street North is all that would be needed to allow for the original structure to be taken down and not a demolition permit as has been previously assumed.

The source also said that the contractor hired to complete the work is ready to move forward with preliminary work on the site as soon as possible.

The conversion of the 1917 building to a parking lot was approved by the city’s Design Review Committee on April 11. The city’s daily print newspaper currently occupied a new structure built directly across the street from its former headquarters. That building includes several architectural details that refer to the original structure.