A new era has begun on Detroit's west side. The final piece of the Mammoth Building came down on Sunday.

"We worked extremely hard over the years to get this location of the mammoth building, formerly Kingsway, formerly Federals, to come down, because for 20 years that have been closed," James Tate, Detroit City Council president pro tem, District 1, said, "and every year there was an additional layer of decay that has brought down this neighborhood."

In August, demolition got started on the former department store located on Grand River Avenue and Greenfield Road after years of legal battles.

"I remember this area when it was at its best," LaJuan Counts, group executive of construction and building operations for Detroit, said. "Although I hated to see the building go, it's truly necessary in order for us to start that rebirth and that revitalization."

When Mayor Mike Duggan took office 12 years ago, he made it his mission to get rid of the blighted structure. On one of his final days as Detroit's leader, he celebrated that achievement.

"It means promises made, promises kept, because [it's] one of the things the mayor wanted to get accomplished before he left. So that's the first thing is he kept his promise," Steele Hughes, Deputy Manager of Detroit District 1, said. "The second part is, what's moving next? New administration coming in, and part of that is the excitement of the future."

It was a gift to Tate on his birthday.

"We have no idea yet what's going to spring about it, but what we do know is that it's now fertile ground for redevelopment and transformation," he said.

And while there isn't a project in the works to fill the vacant space, the possibilities are endless.

"It could be housing, could be a shopping destination, could be entertainment, you name it. But again, that's the beauty of why we're here today," Tate said.