Talk of demolishing Pimlico Race Course and building a new racetrack has a long and complicated history all its own.

Now that a plan is finally coming to fruition after years of stops and starts, it’s truly something that must be seen to be believed. Baltimore Banner photographer Jerry Jackson has documented the tear-down from the start.

After the 150th Preakness Stakes was held May 17 and the historic items from the track were packed away for safekeeping, excavators arrived in mid-July to begin demolishing the Old Grandstand, barns and clubhouse.

By the end of September, the last of the recognizable buildings were fully flattened.

Once the site is cleared, crews will get to work erecting the next iteration of Pimlico, a smaller, modern facility that will have extra seating brought in when the middle race of the Triple Crown returns. State officials will run the Preakness at Laurel Park in 2026, with the goal of bringing the race back to Old Hilltop for 2027.

Constructing Pimlico, as well as a training track in Carroll County, will cost the state over $500 million. The Maryland Stadium Authority approved the first round of bonds, worth roughly $234 million, during a board meeting Tuesday.