wrecking ball
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishwrecking ballˈwrecking ˌball noun [countable] a heavy metal ball attached to a chain or cable which is used to knock down buildingsExamples from the Corpuswrecking ball• Also facing the wrecking ball will be the former Loft Theater.• There's no Polo Grounds or Ebbets Field anymore, both having succumbed to the wrecking ball and what is called progress.