The General Services Administration is moving to unload the Office of Personnel Management’s downtown headquarters, the Theodore Roosevelt Federal Building tucked just north of the National Mall. That decision could put a prime federal property at 1900 E Street NW into play for private redevelopment or another public use.
As reported by Washington Business Journal, GSA has tagged OPM’s roughly 500,000-square-foot headquarters at 1900 E Street NW for sale. The report did not include a firm timeline for taking the property to market or closing a deal.
The Theodore Roosevelt Federal Building currently houses OPM and fills the block bounded by E Street, 19th Street, Virginia Avenue and 20th Street, according to a staff report filed with the National Capital Planning Commission. NCPC materials also flag the site as eligible for the National Register of Historic Places and note that it is visible from the Mall.
Why GSA Is Selling
The move is part of a broader federal effort to trim a portfolio full of high-maintenance and underused office buildings and to claw back money tied up in long-delayed repairs. Government Executive reported that GSA closed a high-profile federal building sale in D.C. in March and has signaled that more dispositions are on the way.
How A Federal Sale Works
GSA cannot simply stick a “for sale” sign out front. Before a building hits the open market, the agency typically declares it excess, offers it first to other federal agencies, then to state or local governments and eligible nonprofits, and only after that opens the door to private buyers. Federal real-property disposal rules also require environmental review, historic preservation review and chances for the public to weigh in during the process, according to the agency’s own guidance. GSA outlines these steps and options, including transfers and potential sale-leaseback arrangements.
What It Means For D.C.
If the Roosevelt Building is eventually repurposed by a private owner, the hulking complex could be converted to housing, a hotel, offices or cultural space, adding new activity to the corridor north of the Mall. Any such overhaul would face heavy scrutiny, given the property’s historic status and its perch in the monumental core of the capital.
On top of that, members of Congress have been pressing to speed up sales of federal buildings. Legislation on Capitol Hill has explicitly called out the Theodore Roosevelt Building as a candidate for disposal, underscoring the political push behind this kind of move. The bill text is available on Congress.gov.
Next Steps
Anyone hoping for a quick flip should temper expectations. Appraisals, offers to other agencies, environmental review, Section 106 historic review and stakeholder outreach typically take months to work through. Local officials, preservation advocates and tenants will all have opportunities to weigh in as GSA advances through the disposal process.
The plan to sell the Roosevelt Building surfaced publicly this week, when Washington Business Journal first reported GSA’s intentions.
