DETROIT, MI -- The demolition of the former Brewster-Douglass projects highrises along Interstate 75 near Mack in Detroit is creeping along.

The first of the four 15-story buildings was demolished a couple weeks ago and excavators have now begun munching on a second.

Rather than implode the buildings, due to safety concerns due to the close proximity to the highway, Homrich, the contractor handling the demolition, is using heavy machinery to slowly dismantle the structures.

The complex included rows of 75 town homes that have already been razed.

The last residents moved out when it shut down in 2008. The remaining buildings are now covered in graffiti, including a tag that says, "blame Kwame," and filled with trash and rubble.

An abandoned basketball court converted into a street course for skateboarders and BMX riders for an event promoting Detroit's failed bid for the ESPN X Games is still utilized daily.

The complex opened in 1938 as the first federal housing project built for African-Americans and was home to some of Detroit's biggest names, including Diana Ross, Smokey Robinson and Lily Tomlin.

The city announced plans to raze the complex with a $6.5 million grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development in 2012.

Demolition of the highrises began in March.