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Pieces of Grand Central Station fell to the ground at 9 a.m. Wednesday, making way for Antaramian Development’s mixed-use Renaissance Village.

When the arm of the bright yellow excavator hit the front of the building, shingles sprinkled the pavement first and then a large chunk, including part of the old NCH Wellness Center’s sign, crashed to the ground with a thud.

“This is a historic occasion,” said Naples Mayor Bill Barnett, moments before the demolition began. “I can remember when this white elephant was erected, but it never worked. This is the beginning of a new era here and it’s very exciting.”

The first phase of demolition started last December, and this second and final phase will polish off the remaining 80,000 square feet of the old shopping center. Demolition will be completed by the end of the year.

Renaissance Village will be built on 22 acres along Goodlette-Frank Road and Fifth Avenue South. The center, which includes 205,000 square feet of commercial space and 288 residential units, is set to be completed in 2009, according to Jack Antaramian, the developer.

“I feel relieved that after two and a half years the hospital has been able to relocate to their new (wellness) center so that we can start,” Antaramian said.

Just before the demolition started, Antaramian stepped into the old wellness center for a last look.

“It’s really the end of an era,” he said.

The center was empty; treadmills, bikes and weights moved to the new John N. Briggs Wellness Center on U.S. 41, which opened Nov. 27.

Antaramian Development purchased the 15.7-acre property at Grand Central Station from the NCH Healthcare System for $25 million in spring 2005. Renaissance Village’s property includes other parcels, including 1.96 acres bought by Florida Gulf Coast University in April for $5 million.

FGCU plans to locate a 50,000-square-foot Renaissance Academy center, which will include a 350-seat performance venue, on the corner of Goodlette-Frank Road and 5th Avenue South. The academy will offer noncredit courses, lectures, concerts, study tours and community involvement.

One of the two parking garages at the center will be owned by FGCU.

Residential units are priced from the mid-$700,000s to more than $2 million, and 61 of the units are already reserved. Those reservations total $72 million. Commercial space is going for $45 per square foot, plus $10-$12 for common area maintenance.

Starbucks and Coldstone Creamery have signed letters of intent to locate in the center, and other tenants haven’t yet been announced. They probably will include a high-end Italian restaurant and a boutique grocery store like Wild Oats or Whole Foods, said Rich Grimes, president of Summit Realty Services, the center’s leasing agent.

Mixed-use developments like Renaissance Village are becoming popular across the country, said Ray Pezeshkan, president and CEO of Architectural Network, the company designing the center.

“Our overall goal is to create a town center and to bring urban residents downtown,” Pezeshkan said. “Rather than driving and dealing with traffic, people love to be able to live and to walk and to enjoy the city.”

Grand Central Station was built in the early 1980s by a developer, National Capital Investments. Construction started in 1981 and the center opened the following year. It was originally anchored by a Winn-Dixie and an Eckerd Drugs.

Just before the excavator ripped into the building’s roof, Barnett reminisced about the old shopping center, and, in particular, an “old watering hole” called Engine No. 9.

Grand Central Station was always a “white elephant” as the city grew around it, Barnett said, adding: “This new center will blend so well with everything that’s going on around it. I’m very excited.”