An excavator run by Pat McCorkle, who works for Butcher & Son Excavating in Akron, knocks down the front facade of the house at 132 S. Lincoln St. in Kent. The house was the first of several to come down as construction began Wednesday, Aug. 8, along the path of the Kent State Esplanade extension. The extension will connect front campus with downtown Kent. Photo by Susan Kirkman Zake.