ELMONT, N.Y. - The ground shook and part of the earth moved at Belmont Park on Friday morning. It was totally unrelated to the 4.8 magnitude earthquake that rocked the Northeast, the epicenter of which was some 75 miles away in Lebanon, N.J. Rather, the demolition phase of the massive Belmont Park renovation project officially started early Friday morning. Mini-excavators ground up the floor of the clubhouse. The apron in front of the Belmont Cafe on the ground level had previously been ground up and on Friday morning the Belmont Cafe was being gutted. A very small portion of the east end of the grandstand, including a few seats, was dismantled. “They’ll start to go through with the demolition plan that’s been approved with taking out the front bowl, meaning the seating that’s on the grandstand apron, get that all exposed, get back to the steel beams,” said Glen Kozak, the New York Racing Association’s executive vice president/operations and capital projects. “Once that’s clear and the building is all cleaned out, then they’ll start taking the roof down.” Kozak indicated the removal of the roof likely won’t begin for another three to four weeks. The roof, as well as the rest of the building, will be taken down in sections, beginning from east to west. The new building will be constructed on the far east end of the current building. Kozak said it is likely the foundation of the new building will be able to be put in place before the west end of the old building gets torn down. :: Get the Inside Track with the FREE DRF Morning Line Email Newsletter. Subscribe now.  “Even if they’re demoing on the far end they’d be able to start site work and excavation,” Kozak said. The demolition of the 1.2-million square-foot building at Belmont Park, being done by Breeze National Inc., is expected to take four to six months. It is being done to make way for a new 275,000-square foot building that is expected to be ready in the fall of 2026, though NYRA has put together a project plan to hold the 2026 Belmont Stakes at Belmont without full usage of the building. In the interim, the Belmont Stakes will be held at Saratoga in both 2024 and 2025 and all downstate racing is being conducted at Aqueduct. NYRA said that 75 percent of the materials from the current Belmont grandstand will be recycled, including concrete, steel, copper, and aluminum. A good portion of the existing concrete will be used as filler for the new building, Kozak said. Prior to demolition, NYRA has preserved all artwork, including the mural painted by former Daily Racing Form artist Peb that was on the second-floor of the clubhouse. Sculptures and wrought iron artwork from the paddock and clubhouse entrance has been preserved During the construction, the Secretariat statue that was in the old paddock has been transported to Saratoga where it will be in a public area adjacent to the Walk of Fame before being returned to the new Belmont paddock. :: Bet with the Best! Get FREE All-Access PPs and Weekly Cashback when you wager on DRF Bets. The Japanese White Pine tree that was a staple of the old paddock, is being surveyed and protected to the greatest extent possible through the demolition possible and is scheduled to be located just outside the new paddock when the new building opens. The demolition stage is the next phase of a multi-year project that will not only see the construction of a new building, but the renovation of Belmont’s three existing racing surfaces - the main track and two turf courses - as well as the construction of a synthetic surface. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.