Now, rounding up a week's worth of tidbits:

* DC WATER OPEN HOUSE: DC Water is throwing an open house to mark the "grand opening" of its sparkling headquarters along the Anacostia, on Thursday, May 30, starting at 3 pm. But be sure to not stay so long that you miss the ice cream social/JDLand camera meet-and-greet that starts at 6 pm at Canal Park.

* HELLO, MERIDIAN: The apartment building under construction at 1000 1st Street SE now has a name and a placeholder web site, so say hello to Meridian on First.

* SOMEWHERE, ALMOST HERE: Washington City Paper reports on the arrival later this month of "Somewhere," the combination clothing-and-coffee venture from the DC native behind Maketto and streetwear brand DURKL coming to the retail row on 1st Street SE south of M.

* CFA VS CHEMONICS HQ: The Commission on Fine Arts does not like the design for the planned Chemonics headquarters at New Jersey and Tingey. Really, really does not like it. (WBJ)

* REMEMBERING TRACKS: Marty Chernoff, the creator of the legendary Tracks nightclub that ruled the northwest corner of 1st and M Streets, SE, from 1984 to 1999, died on May 3. The Washington Blade printed a nice remembrance of both Chernoff and Tracks, and subsequently a reader pointed me to two YouTube videos from 1998 and 1999 touring the club.

First, let us welcome the two new skeletons now above ground level, the Maren on Potomac Avenue and Paradigm's project at 1000 1st St., SE, both of which are apartment projects:

(Tishman Speyer's massive Square 696 residential project is just now starting to peek up, but didn't make the above-ground cut this time.)

It's a sign that the frantic construction pace of the past two years that we only have three projects coming out of the ground, and only one where excavation is stlll underway (One Hill South 2). A breather will be nice.

That said, there are still nine other projects that are in the getting-their-faces-on stage of construction. So let's look at the National Association of Broadcasters HQ (and its sibling Avidian condos to the rear) at South Capitol and M, the Funnel on Half Street (aka West Half), the combo project of the Estate apartments at 3rd and Water by the Yards Park and a Thompson hotel at 3rd and Tingey (shown in closeup because I dig the windows), the second phase of Novel South Capitol, Parc Riverside Phase 2 at Half and L, and the Garrett at 2nd and K. The last photo in the bunch is 1250 Half, which is both a still-rising skeleton on its southern end and a face-being-put-on project on its northern end, completely mucking with my flow.

(Follow the links to the project pages for details--I've already written enough words this week!)

Still under construction as well are residential projects the Harlow and the Bower condos/Guild apartments, but I didn't take any updated photos because their exterior work is mostly done. Plus I might have collapsed.

Tired out by this? Now you know why I for the first time grabbed a scooter to cover all of the territory.

But I also used my newfound scooter freedom to get some sorely needed shots at the far edges of the JDLand coverage area. Here are my first photos of the work on the new Douglass Bridge, as seen from the old Douglass Bridge (and no, that platform is not the new bridge), as well as a picture of the Emblem on Barracks Row condo building at 8th and Virginia, now completed despite my having almost completely ignored it during its construction:

Speaking of the new Douglass Bridge, if you go to the official web site and scroll down to Project Gallery, you will see what I think is a new animation of the new bridges and ovals and whatnot.

As for what's on the boards to get underway in 2019, I'd say that the most likely contenders are the new DDOT HQ at 250 M and Lerner's 1000 South Capitol Street residential building, and maybe one other I will write about soon. As for others? We Shall See.

I also belatedly have added the GSA warehouse at 49 L to my Demolished Buildings Gallery, as #181. That's a lot of demo.

* MORE COFFEE!: Because you addicted folks can't get enough of that witches' brew you all pretend to like, I'll mention that Eater has reported that Australian chain Bluestone Lane has signed a lease to open a coffee shop a 1,014-square-foot space in the ground floor of the 99 M office building that will also be home to Circa and Open Road. Here's the deets on the existing location in Georgetown. Both the building and Bluestone are expected to be finished later this year.

* OATH OPEN: They kind of snuck in without a lot of fanfare, but Oath Pizza is now open next to Bethesda Bagels on M Street between 1st and New Jersey, joining All-Purpose and Declaration, which both opened last week. Now we await Wise Guy Pizza at Canal Park.

* CHLOE REVIEW: The Post's Tom Sietsema gives Chloe his "good/excellent" rating.

* YARDS PHASE 2: I was kind of surprised at the volume of coverage earlier this week about the second-phase plans at the Yards, which mainly shows the power of sending a press release to every development reporter in town (though not me). If you've been following my posts about "Yards West" since, oh, early 2014, the plans for well over 1 million square feet of office space on the footprint of Spooky Park at 1st and M and two residential buildings on the current parking lots on the south side of N Street is not really anything new. But the press release attached a 2019 start date attached to this next phase, and it also passed along two renderings, including one showing what the release describes as a "six-block spine" beginning at a new plaza at New Jersey and M, extending all the way to the Anacostia River at Diamond Teague Park, described as "a vibrant pedestrian-friendly street, featuring ground-level retail and dining, extended green spaces and a variety of public gathering areas." In all, "Yards West" will have about 3 million square feet of mixed-use space across 18 acres.

Here are the renderings, showing the planned office building for "Parcel F," on the northeast corner of 1st and N, and the aforementioned "spine," looking south toward the river.

(And maybe that new plaza at New Jersey and M will include the dreamed-of third entrance to the Navy Yard Metro station, on the south side of M.)

But what if Amazon picks the Capitol Riverfront/Poplar Point HQ2 proposal, which includes these lots (seen on this map as locations 9 and 10)? Or is this a hint that it's not expected to be chosen? We Shall See!

* PARADIGM PART 2: WBJ reports late this afternoon that Paradigm has now purchased the rest of the block bounded by New Jersey, 1st, K, and L. This includes the Eagle Academy building and the taxi garage next door, on New Jersey. The company is just getting started with its 275-unit residential building at 1000 1st Street, on the west side of this block (known as Square 740), and apparently is planning a twin for the other part of the block.

* NEW PROJECTS STARTING SOON: Residents at Capitol Yards and at Velocity have received notices in recent days about the pending start of two residential projects outside their windows: a 275-unit building by Paradigm on the east side of 1st Street between K and L (the old Market Deli site, for you long-timers), and Tishman Speyer's 800-unit project with potentially more than 40,000 square feet of retail on the Square 696 parking-lot block bounded by I, K, 1st, and Half. There is precious little additional information about either development--when projects are "at right" and don't have to go through zoning approvals, easily grabbed details and renderings can be scarce, but hope springs eternal that more deets will pop up soon. As will the fences, pedestrian detours, and backhoes.

* ONYX SALE: It's been announced that the sale of the Onyx on First apartment building at 1st and L has closed, with local company UIP (Urban Investment Partners) structuring a $95.5 million deal for the building that is now 10 (!) years old. UIP owns and manages about 2,800 apartments in DC and Maryland, and is also behind a lot of local renovations, including the old Howard Johnson's across from the Watergate. What makes this sale a little interesting is that when the previous owners notified residents of an impending sale, they organized under the District's Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act, and then chose UIP to take the tenant acquisition rights. The press release says that "UIP has committed to installing cell phone repeaters" and will also improve the roof deck kitchens, install dog runs, and undertake other "building enhancements."

* THE BLUE CASTLE: The Hill Rag has shared a neat documentary by the students of the Richard Wright charter school about their school's 8th and M location, entitled "9 Lives of the Blue Castle." Wright focuses its curriculum on journalism and "media arts," for students in grades 8 through 12.

* TUNNEL UPDATES: The presentation from the latest "Coffee with Chuck" has a lot of cool pictures from inside the new Virginia Avenue Tunnel(s), where the JDLand camera does not tread. There's also continuing updates of schedules for cross street closures as the temporary bridge decks get demolished and the roads get rebuilt. Be prepared that a multi-month closure of 4th Street is coming, once 3rd Street is reopened.

* FIVE GUYS: There's paper over the windows at the Five Guys on 2nd St., SE, but the official web site says (and a source has said the same) that this is a temporary closure, for some interior "refresh" work.

* ORANGETHEORY: The neighborhood's newest fitness offering will be opening in ORE 82 at New Jersey and I in March, but starting Tuesday, Jan. 3, pre-sales of "founding memberships" will begin.

* EAGLE ACADEMY: The charter school at 1017 New Jersey Avenue will be relocating after this school year ends to Naylor Road SE in Ward 8, "after recently learning that its leased facility in Ward 6 will be sold by the building's owner in August 2017." I imagine questioning eyes will now turn to the garage next door at New Jersey and L, wondering if its days are numbered as well, and if a developer is assembling the New Jersey-facing parcels on Square 740 for some future project.

* OH SAY, CAN YOU HEAR: If within the past month or so you've suddenly started hearing the National Anthem in the air at 8 am, you're not alone. (The Hill is Home)

There's probably more, but I've been awake for a good 90 minutes since my late-morning/early-afternoon nap and still need to get in my mid-afternoon nap before the game with the Washington Football Team gets underway.

But I'll add this, showing the view from the freeway 12 years ago today (Jan. 1, 2005) and a wider shot of the same general view back in August.

UPDATE, JAN. 2: Have you seen this cute little Chihuahua that went missing in the neighborhood?

There are actually 14 individual lots facing 1st, two of which Akridge owned back before 2001 and the rest of which the company bought piecemeal in 2006 and 2008. Word had gotten out earlier this year that Akridge had put them on the market.

Old-timers will remember this stretch of 1st as the home of the Market Deli and some small auto-repair shops, which where all demolished in 2011. Here's a stroll down 1st Street Memory Lane, back to 2004:

(I'll also note that the purchase was technically made by Who's on First Properties, LLC. [I DON'T KNOW!!! THIRD BASE!!!])

Here's Paradigm's other residential offerings in the area.

*I WORK, YOU WORK, WEWORK: Co-working provider WeWork has signed a 69,000-sf lease at 80 M St. SE. (Bisnow)

* NATS PARK DIGITAL SIGNS: This has been brewing for a number of weeks, and has been discussed in the comments threads, but some may still be unaware of the plans by the Nationals to install 10 large digital billboards on the ballpark's exterior. The Hill Rag wrote about it in detail in October, and last week ANC 6D's Andy Litsky offered this blistering testimony in opposition to the DC Council's Subcommittee on Urban Affairs. UPDATE: Oops, I guess the initial subcommittee vote was last week, a 4-1 approval. Washington City Paper has more on the controversy.

* COMMUNITY CENTER BACKSTORY: Capitol Hill Corner writes of how the new Capper Community Center had and then lost plans for an operator for the new building, and what it means for the center at this point.

* ANACOSTIA RIVER TRAIL EXTENSION: Back at the end of October, the stretch of the Anacostia River Trail from Benning Road to the DC/Maryland line officially opened, providing not only another five miles of trail offerings within DC but creating an all new gateway to the large Anacostia Tributary Trail System. (WashCycle)

* WSJ ON THE HOOD: If you have a Wall Street Journal subscription, here's their recent piece on the explosive growth of the neighborhood.

* CHANGING HANDS: I totally meant to mention back in July that the Empire Cab building at 37 L St. SE was sold for $6.7 million, according to WBJ (scroll down). This building, as I wrote a number of years ago, was the site in 1977 of a terrible fire where nine people died. In other changing-hands-news, a little birdie tells me that the land held by Akridge along 1st St. SE between K and L that was put on the market earlier this year is now under contract to a residential developer. I imagine we'll find out more when the sale closes in coming weeks.

Happy Thanksgiving to all.

A smidge belatedly, I've added the three garages demolished a week ago on the southeast corner of 1st and K to my Demolished Buildings Gallery, as entries 163, 164, and 165. (It might soon be time to create a Not Demolished Gallery, which would be far far smaller.) I was surprised when digging in my archives to find a couple of photos of the garages still in operation (above), from 2006 and 2007. You can also see how that stretch of 1st has changed since 2003, looking south from K and north from L.

I also grabbed a quick photo of the progress on the new bridge bring built by the city that will link Diamond Teague Park to the Yards Park, scheduled to be completed this fall. (And I guess it's time to also officially get rid of the "floating bridge" nomenclature, because, as we've seen for months, there are big ole' piles in the river.) It'll be interesting to see if usage of the First Base Gate at Nationals Park at 1st and Potomac increases noticeably next season with this new riverside walkway available. (It will also make arriving at Teague Piers via water taxi to attend events at the Yards Park involve a much more enjoyable walk, compared to schlepping up to N Street and over.)

And, with people now moving into the first completed houses in phase two of Capitol Quarter, I updated my photos of 3rd Street between I and K. And it reminded me how the intersection of 3rd and I has become quite an illustration of change in all directions, with not only new townhouses replacing old public housing but also seeing lots of new high-rises in the distance. (The White Monolith that was the old Post Plant on the northwest corner getting a facelift is an added bonus.)

If you're looking for other links to help kill time over the next few weeks, take a look at the JDLand Headlines to be sure you haven't missed any big items lately.

There's a few more images here, showing that the demolition isn't quite so obvious from 1st Street (yet). Also, hopefully the folks who have been tending to the cats living in the abandoned building can report in as to their fate. (I heard a rumor that some kittens were removed today, but would defer to an update from anyone with more knowledge. UPDATE: In the comments of another post, reader jenniferp says that five very young kittens were indeed captured this morning, but there are several more still on the loose.) And, if you haven't been following along on the tale of the Market Deli for the past few years, here's some enlightenment.

And, because it would have been silly to wander down there in the ghastly heat and humidity and walk past a whole lot of spots where I needed to take updated photos, you can see the latest progress at 225 Virginia (aka 200 I Street) and the second phase of Capitol Quarter, where framing is being completed on the last portion of its first block, along Fourth Street.

He describes the "humble" building as the only remaining wood frame corner store in existence south of the freeway. (The brick building next door, where the Market Deli operated in the last few years of its existence, is not part of the nomination.) He also says it "represents the scale and the history that our neighborhood had for most of its history until very recently." He also says that he did not submit the nomination himself, though helped prepare it (but doesn't say who did submit).

The building, constructed in 1885, is currently owned by Akridge (along with the rest of the block's frontage along 1st Street). There has been no public information on what Akridge plans to do with the block, but raze permits were filed for the Market Deli building(s) and the other buildings on the north end of the block earlier this year, which presumably is what kick-started this move. You can read about the city's Historic Landmark designation process at the Historic Preservation Office's web site. Readers may recall that the St. Paul's church at 4th and I received a landmark designation in November.

A slew of photos showing the Deli unchanging in the face of nearby development can be seen in my archive.

UPDATE, 3/7: Here is the nomination form, submitted by Hayden Wetzel of "Historic Washington Architecture."

UPDATE, 3/11: The hearing date at the Historic Preservation Review Board has been set for April 28; here's the hearing notice.