Although from the street, the new Katoomba RSL Club looks a long way from being finished, the safety netting and scaffolding hides the real truth.
The club hopes to be open for business by mid-July.
Interior work is going ahead at a pace, said the club's CEO, Nick Darias. Gyprocking is complete, the tiling has been done in the bathrooms, beer taps are ready, appliances are being installed in the open kitchen and the painters have started.
One of the features of the new club, which the Gazette toured this week, is the huge glass curved window and a double-height soaring ceiling in the a la carte restaurant.
The window gives a view onto - and from - Lurline Street.
The new auditorium will seat 600 at a sit-down convention, 300 at a wedding and can be separated in three smaller and completely separate areas.
"We can host bingo, a wake and a conference, all at the same time," Mr Darias said.
Club president, Brian Turner, said the war memorial will be installed near the front door of the club, along with the Lone Pine tree. Just inside the entrance will be a large glass-fronted cabinet containing the club's memorabilia, including the collection of medals which were restored after being damaged in the fire.
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The sub-branch's veterans office is also at the front, meaning veterans who want assistance don't need to go through the signing-in process or show membership badges.
The feature at the front of the building is a huge porte cochere, which will provide shelter to people arriving and departing. Porte cocheres were originally designed to allow horses and carriages to drive through with their passengers, protecting them from the elements.
The entire structure is being clad in sandstone to reflect the sandstone cliffs of the Mountains.
Mr Darias said he hoped the admin team will be able to move into the building late next month and prepare the club to open its doors to the public in mid-July.
The club, which has been operating from a small office in Katoomba's Town Centre Arcade since the February 2017 fire, has benefited in recent weeks from the federal election - with the pre-polling booth next door, many voters have called in to renew or take up new memberships.
Early memberships taken now for just $10 will last until December 2020.
