Trump admin considers sale of Richmond's Federal Office Building
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Downtown Richmond's Federal Office Building at 400 N. 8th St. Photo: Karri Peifer/Axios
Downtown Richmond's Federal Office Building could be on the chopping block as the Trump administration seeks to sell offices that "are not core to government operations."
Why it matters: Richmond-based workers from nearly a dozen federal agencies work out of the building at 8th and Marshall Streets.
- There's no word where they would go if the building is sold.
The big picture: Last Tuesday, the General Services Administration said it's considering offloading more than 440 "non-core" assets across the U.S.
- The agency estimates that selling those buildings could save more than $430 million in annual operating costs.
- Later that evening, more than 100 properties disappeared from the list, the Washington Post reported.
- By Wednesday morning, the list had been removed from GSA's website — and replaced with a note that says "coming soon."
State of play: Just one of Richmond's three federally owned buildings was listed in the non-core asset list: the Federal Office Building at 400 N. 8th St., near City Hall.
- That's a different building than the better-known Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond office tower on Byrd Street, which is not owned by the federal government.
- The two other federal buildings in Richmond, which were not listed, are the Lewis F. Powell, Jr. U.S. Courthouse and Annex at 1100 E. Main St. and the Spottswood W. Robinson III and Robert R. Merhige, Jr., U.S. Courthouse at 701 E. Broad St.
Zoom in: The Richmond Federal Office Building is assessed at just under $38.5 million, per city records.
- The 333,000-square-foot building houses several federal offices, including the IRS, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Federal Highway Administration, Small Business Administration, Indian Health Service and International Trade Administration, per an Axios review.
Zoom out: More than two dozen Virginia properties were on the initial GSA list before it was pulled down.
- With five, Charlottesville had the most buildings on the list outside of Northern Virginia.
Of note: Just because a property is on the list does not mean it's immediately for sale, the GSA noted.
What we're watching: More federally funded properties could get the axe, too.
- DOGE lists three real estate leases in Richmond that it's moving to terminate, including the office of U.S. Attorneys and U.S. Geological Survey, along with more than a dozen elsewhere in the state, per the agency's website.
- Caveat: DOGE's website has included inaccuracies and questionable accounting of its cost-cutting measures.