Like an epic 12-round boxing match, the Tarrytown Mall demolition project has endured for more than a month.

But on Wednesday, the last of the old steel and stone warrior finally hit the canvas.

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"Tarrytown is down," said Tony Black, lead superintendent with McCrory Construction of Columbia, S.C.

Citing equipment malfunctions early in the week, officials said they didn't expect to deliver the final knockout until Friday. Senior Project Manager Bill Osborne said the overall project has proceeded quicker than expected, and finishing by the end of the week would still put the company ahead of schedule.

Wednesday began with the same prospect. But Black said dismantling the remaining section of the mall proved easier than projected.

"We had no idea it was going to come down like it did," Black said. "The way it happened, we were working on one end of it, and a big section of it was so unstable.

"We gave it a little help, and it started to fall."

The last portion to drop included the distinctive vertical panes of glass in the center section. Other than it being the final blow, Black said there was nothing particularly dynamic about the event.

"Not a whole lot of noise," he said. "We had a good bit of dust come up, but got some water on it immediately to keep it down."

Black said it will take about 2 weeks to clean up residual debris at the site before the construction of Sam's Club can begin.

"We'll be moving dirt, doing some blasting to put new sewer pipes and water lines in," he said. "Then we'll get the site built up."

More than six years have passed since the mall was rendered useless in the 1999 flood. Rocky Mount Mayor Fred Turnage said it is good to scale another hurdle in the lot's redevelopment.

"I'm glad it's gone," Turnage said. "This is a real milestone, and one that I believe virtually all of our citizens are glad to see accomplished."

Turnage commended McCrory for conducting the demolition quickly and efficiently.

"They've done so in a manner that created the least inconvenience to our citizens," Turnage said. "We look forward to the final cleanup and the beginning of new construction."