Because I've been writing about Near Southeast for 3 1/2 years now, I admit to not always explaining every item in minute detail--I work under the assumption that everyone's been reading along from the beginning and has committed every iota of my prose to memory. (It's not at all a wise strategy, but you have to admit it saves space.) Anyway, I made mentions over the past few weeks of the demolition of the one nice structure on the ballpark site, which I referred to as the Ken Wyban house (after it's last owner). I didn't give much additional background, but you can go to Douglas Willinger's South Capitol Street Frederick Douglass Mall blog to get a bit more detail--it was actually the Alfred Richards House, built in the 1840s and named after it's original owner. (You'll recognize a lot of familiar verbage and photos in the entry, as Willinger quotes from my site--thanks for the hat tip.) The blog itself discusses the fate of South Capitol Street, which in 1990s planning documents was going to be transformed into a grand boulevard/promenade--the stadium has changed those plans, and Willinger is not happy...

the Post's DC Wire blog reports today that Mayor Williams has proposed an Office of Baseball, at a cost of $750,000. Why? As DCist succinctly puts it, "Essentially, this new Office of Baseball will serve to mediate conflicts between the D.C. Sports and Entertainment Commission, the Anacostia Waterfront Corporation, and the Lerner family." (The brewing battle over the stadium's parking garages shows that the three groups aren't exactly on the same page.) But, in a stunner, the DC Council appears uninterested in shelling out another batch of dough having to do with the stadium.

More posts: parking, Nationals Park