Demolition crews have begun tearing down a block of historic rowhomes in downtown Baltimore.

The homes on Saint Paul Place stood for more than 180 years, but it took just minutes to reduce them to rubble Saturday.

They're being razed to make way for a $292 million expansion of Mercy Medical Center.

The city issued a demolition permit in December to tear the homes down after the City Council erased them from a list of "notable" properties.

In the early 1900s, blacks and whites lived side by side in the homes. The executive director of Baltimore Heritage says it's a real loss for the city's African-American heritage.