Between architect-conceived patterns and a jumbled splatter of rubble are the unpredictable forms of a structure on its way down. When outer walls crumble, a building stands with its innards revealed—a giant dollhouse or a movie set after Godzilla has stomped by. Brute physical forces encounter a rich web of wood, concrete, rebar, pipes, wire, and insulation, as well as cabinets, appliances, and venetian blinds. Materials play new roles: Chunks of concrete pose as museum sculpture, dust mimics fog, a stairway swings like a mobile. The juxtapositions of intact and devastated segments provide a patchwork of the mundane and the chaotic. These images of demolition sites in or near the nation's capital show edifices in their final hours. Some remain proud; others become mysterious or even whimsical. The photos present different viewpoints, from entire buildings to small sets of the elements within. They also denote the power of the demolition equipment, whether operating in bright sunlight, within clouds of dust, or under harsh lights after dark. Rather than gloomy pictures of decay, these photos reflect optimism—the old making way for the new—while providing a gentle reminder that just a few decades ago, each of the structures promised lasting appeal.