DECATUR - A lonely mannequin peered from an upper-level window overlooking downtown Decatur for the last time Friday.

She had to know her days were numbered.

Nearby buildings on the west side of the 300 block of North Water Street have come crashing down in recent weeks to make room for new downtown development.

And on Friday, large pincers from a towering piece of demolition equipment bit into the northernmost building on the block, knocking the dummy down in the process.

Soon, the building will be rubble.

Workers with Chicago-based National Wrecking Co. continue to knock down the aging buildings along the block to provide a clean slate for downtown revitalization.

Next on the crew's demolition list is the former Carson Pirie Scott building on the block's south end.

Reynolds Development LLC is building a 75,000-square-foot structure on the east side of the block, and the Decatur City Council agreed to acquire and demolish properties on the west side of the street.

Anchor tenants Consociate-Dansig and Regions Bank are expected to move into the new facility by August.

The new structure on the east side of the block also will provide space for retail, restaurant and other commercial outlets.

The Decatur City Council recently approved extending a $1.4 million line of credit to demolish the old buildings on the block's west side.

Mayor Paul Osborne has hailed the project as a "giant leap forward" for downtown, and surrounding downtown business leaders have praised the redevelopment effort.

But the demolition of historic buildings was a sad sight for local historian Dayle Cochran Irwin.

"It hurts me to see this; it makes me almost physically ill," Irwin said. "I feel like my life is being torn apart. Some people might think that's dramatic or over the top, but that's how I feel. I think it's very sad and unnecessary."

The community loses part of its past when it tears down historic buildings, Irwin said.

"It wipes out who we are, where we came from, what we had," Irwin said. "The powers that be figure if you tear it down, they will come. I don't agree with that philosophy."

Irwin recently salvaged a decorative piece from a building that was demolished. She found the piece on the sidewalk near the demolition area.

The local historian was pleased a man in a hardhat allowed her to keep the piece of downtown history. Apparently, one person's rubble is another person's treasured lawn decoration.

"I'll use it in my garden," Irwin said.

Mike Frazier can be reached at mfrazier@herald-review.com or 421-7985.