The demolition of Pimlico’s aging, historic barns has begun and even the most revered of them all, Stall 40, won’t be fully preserved despite pleas from a vocal band of racing fans.

The Maryland Stadium Authority has been tasked with demolishing and rebuilding the racetrack with hundreds of millions in state funds. In a memorandum of agreement reached last month with the Maryland Historical Trust, the authority said it would identify elements “anticipated for salvage.” That included Stall 40, which has often been the home of the Kentucky Derby champion during Preakness week over the past half-century.

Upon closer analysis of the site, the authority will only save the stall’s facade and some other wooden pieces. The rest, as they say, is history.

Pimlico has long been lampooned for its poor condition and the barns are no exception. Gary McGuigan, the authority’s executive vice president of capital projects, said Stall 40 had so much termite damage in some areas he was able to poke his finger through the weakened wood.

“We can’t save the whole thing,” he said. “If it was possible, we would have.”

As of Friday, that storied stall had not been demolished, but was scheduled to be as crews continue to scrape the site of Old Hilltop ahead of its rebuild. Demolition of the clubhouse began Friday.

The authority will seek to incorporate the stall’s facade and other pieces of wood into some sort of historic element within the new Pimlico. That could include a potential reconstruction of Stall 40, authority officials said.

That’s not enough for April Smith, a zealous supporter of Pimlico’s legacy who runs a 5,000-member Facebook group. She’s also repeatedly reminded state agencies — including the authority and, before it was abruptly sunset, the Maryland Thoroughbred Racetrack Operating Authority — about the importance of preservation.

“If they really, really wanted to, they could,” she said Monday of saving Stall 40. “Maybe it’s not worth their while.”

She and others long lobbied against shifting the orientation of the racetrack and were pleased when officials opted to keep the original oval’s position in an effort to cut costs. Smith’s group has also fought for preservation of other pieces of Pimlico’s history, including its barns.

“It’s, well, disappointing isn’t even a big enough word for it,” she said.

An underlying factor is cost. The state has $500 million — a rare, substantial public investment in what many consider a dying industry — to spend on a new Pimlico and a Carroll County training center.

But that budget will likely be tight. Preserving dilapidated barns, if possible, could have added cost.

Demolition itself will be about $4.5 million, according to an agreement between the authority and Clark Construction, obtained in a public records request. The document itemizes some of the many expenditures. For example, “pest control” will be $65,000.

The new Pimlico is scheduled to be ready in time for the Preakness in 2027, although final construction is expected to continue afterward. It will be fully complete in April 2028, according to the schedule outlined in the agreement with Clark.

In the meantime, everyday racing and the 2026 Preakness will be held at Laurel Park in Anne Arundel County. The stadium authority has also begun to evaluate the Carroll County site for a training track, which is scheduled to be built in 2027.