The long-awaited revival of an iconic building in Downtown Los Angeles is showing its first visible signs of progress.

Last month, crews punched out a pair of arched window bays at the ground floor of the onetime headquarters of the defunct Los Angeles Herald-Examiner newspaper. The arched windows are an original feature of the Julia Morgan-designed building, but were encased in concrete nearly 50 years ago following damage during an employee strike.

The Hearst Corporation, the media conglomerate that formerly published the Herald-Examiner, is partnering with New York real estate firm Georgetown Co. to restore the landmark structure at 11th Street and Broadway. Following rehabilitation, the 103-year-old building will feature approximately 80,000 square feet of creative office space.

Building permits indicate that interior work has been occuring at the property since early 2016, with previous reports from the Los Angeles Times pointing to a completion date in 2017.

Architecture firm Gensler is handling design work for the adaptive reuse project.

Shuttered since 1989, future tenants at the Herald-Examiner Building will find itself in a decidedly different environment than encountered by former newspaper staffers three decades ago.

On an adjacent property, developer Forest City is now in the midst of construction on a seven-story development that will contain apartments over ground-floor retail space.

Other nearby historic structures - including the L.A. Railway Building, the former Case Hotel and the Western Pacific Building - are on track for reuse as boutique hotels.