Demolition machines are crushing concrete, snapping steel and reducing the familiar structures of Laurel Mall stores such as Macy's into piles of debris. Hovering clouds of dust are sending a smoke signal that the mall, finally, is coming down.
Old Town resident and enthusiastic photographer Mike McLaughlin, who lives a few blocks from the mall, saw what he describes as a "target-rich environment (and) dramatic lighting" and snapped 2,400 photos as he watched the demolition begin along the Fourth Street side of the mall.
In an email message, McLaughlin described the scene as "an awesome display of controlled, systematic destruction of that hulking structure that used to be the Laurel Mall. ... There is really no bad seat for this show."
