It appears demolition contractors — or the site’s new owners — saw fit to remove the mural of Destiny’s Child from the House of Deréon Media Center building in Midtown before beginning to break it down last week. The time-lapse video above shows an excavator tearing apart the 2-story structure at 2204 Crawford St. piece by piece on Friday. But the southern façade of the building, which faces Hadley St., looks a little different than it did just a week earlier. Where once hung giant images of Kelly Rowland, Beyoncé Knowles, and Michelle Williams, a plain white panel appears — the mural evidently having either been removed or painted over before demolition began.

Strangely, this is not the first sign of deference the demo contractors on site have shown the Bootylicious trio, before the building touted for many years as “The Home of Destiny’s Child” was given the boot. Last week an excavator appeared in front of the mural — only to sneak away a few days later:

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The building is one of 3 on a full-city-block complex owned until late last year by Mathew Knowles, who served as both Beyoncé’s dad and Destiny’s Child’s manager. Also on site: The Music World Entertainment recording studio and Knowles’s headquarters building, the former Rice Mansion at 2225 La Branch St. Knowles sold the property to Group 1 Automotive, which owns the neighboring Midtown Advantage BMW car dealership, late last year.

• Site where Beyoncé, Solange Knowles’ recorded demolished in Houston [Houston Chronicle]
• Previously on Swamplot: Comment of the Day: The Midtown Home of Destiny’s Child Has Met Its Destiny; If You Liked It Then You Shoulda Put a Bid On It: House of Deréon Gets Its Demo Permits; Daily Demolition Report: Final Destiny; Destiny’s Child Mural on House of Deréon Media Center Wins Midtown Demolition Staredown; Demo Equipment Is Now Waiting Patiently Outside the House of Deréon Media Center in Midtown

Video: GEAUX TIGERS. Photos: Jordan (excavator); Diaspora (mural); Music World Entertainment (media center);