Yesterday the General Services Administration announced that it had narrowed the options for relocation of the J. Edgar Hoover F.B.I. Building to three sites. None are in the District. That means the days are numbered for the the iconic headquarters in downtown DC. The building was dedicated in 1975 and is the only structure on the block, bound by Pennsylvania Ave, 9th, 10th, and E Streets NW. It was the first major federal government building to be built on the north side of Penn Ave. With a height of 160 feet (E Street side) and 2.8 million square feet of office space, the Hoover Building is one of the largest single structures on Penn Ave between the White House and the Capitol.
There's no timeline for demolition, but one of the options the government is looking into is essentially a swap with developers: the GSA would get a site to build a new HQ, the developer would get the current FBI building and land. Even if that doesn't happen, when the FBI moves, that block will be up for wide-open development.
In a perfect world, what would replace the Hoover Building? A hotel to compete with J.W. Marriott and Trump Hotel nearby? A new flagship library for DC? Apartments only available to those making less than 60% of the area median income? Park or open space? Site for a new museum like the National Women's History Museum? Lots of options. The site is quite large, so my guess is that it will serve more than one purpose. What do you think? You can choose more than one.
