As a lifeguard makes their way to their stand, opening day of the 2025 season is marked by the raising of the flag. CHRIS FLOOD PHOTOS The former beach patrol headquarters. The red sign under the roof vent is the demolition notice. The orange spray paint on the street marks the western edge of the new building. Demolition of the old building begins in February 2024. As the last wall of the old building is demolished, concrete infrastructure begins to be delivered. In March 2024, a huge crane was moved in to help with driving metal sheet piles. It took a couple of weeks for the metal sheet piles to be installed. There was time lost during the driving of wooden pilings because of debris left over from the Storm of ‘62. With pilings installed, excavation of dirt begins in June 2024. The fog rolls in on a hot July morning in 2024. Blocks begin to be placed at the end of July 2024. A common scene early in construction – concrete trucks and a pump truck. A crane is used to dump crushed stone on the site. With the foundation built, masons start working up in late September 2024. It doesn’t take long to go make progress on the blocks. A small crowd gathers in mid-October to celebrate the installation of a time capsule, which is located in the lower left corner of the building facing Baltimore Avenue. The construction crew works on preparing the building for the second floor. More concrete trucks. By early November 2024, the forms for the second floor are being built. A big day came in late November, when the second floor was poured. The second floor is stick built, and as soon as the second floor cured, the framing started to go up. At this stage, the walls of the second floor are up, but the roof is still missing. There was a brief pause in the action during a snowstorm in January 2025. Just a few days after the storm passed, but with snow still on the ground, the roof trusses are installed. The building starts coming into shape by mid-January. Once the ball got rolling, more and more siding was added. Another small group gathers for the ceremonial topping-off event at the end of January. With the countdown on for completion, the building has a roof in February. Windows are installed and waterproofing has begun in this photo. By mid-March, some of the exterior siding is placed. The building is starting to be wrapped and some of the finer details are beginning to be installed. In many ways, the shell of the building is nearing completion, but there’s still a lot of landscaping and paving to do in early April. Someone’s got to be out on the roof to get the hard-to-reach spaces. By the end of April, the walkways are poured. With walkway around the building complete, it’s time to move toward the street. Doors are delivered. Doors are installed in this photo, which means the building can actually be locked up. The big red Rehoboth Beach Patrol letters are installed. The walkway and parking spaces delineated by the orange line at the very beginning have now been constructed. Fog rolls in as the end nears. The brown siding of the building has been mostly installed. By mid-May, the brick walkway around the building is finished. The parking spaces and fire lanes have been painted. It’s all hands on deck to move toward completion the week before opening. The port-a-potties were removed a few days before the opening, which means the plumbing is working. It rained the day before the ribbon-cutting ceremony, but there was still work to be done. The day of the ribbon cutting.