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Historic Government Buildings Among the Listings

Some of the government’s most well-known properties are included in the proposed sale. The GSA even listed its own headquarters as a potential property for sale. The Trump administration also explored relocating agencies outside of Washington, D.C. to save on rent and salaries.

Other buildings eligible for sale include historic customs houses from the 19th century in cities like New Bedford, Massachusetts; Portland, Maine; and Norfolk, Virginia. These buildings once played a key role in collecting import duties that funded the federal government before income taxes were introduced.

The properties vary greatly in size, from the Department of Agriculture’s 4,500-room building in Washington—once the world’s largest office building before the Pentagon was built—to a mere 74-square-foot toll booth at the Good Neighbor International Bridge in El Paso, Texas.

Several buildings named after significant historical figures could also be on the market, including the John F. Kennedy Federal Building in Boston, the Speaker Nancy Pelosi Federal Building in San Francisco, the Rosa Parks Federal Building in Detroit, and the Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Building in Atlanta.

Sale and Leaseback Possibilities

In some cases, properties could be sold and then leased back to the federal government. According to Peters, the goal is to eliminate under-utilized space, lower maintenance costs, and centralize property management.

"Core" federal buildings, such as courthouses, laboratories, land ports of entry, and law enforcement offices, are typically exempt from sales. Additionally, buildings deemed "intrinsically significant," like the White House and the National Building Museum, are not considered for sale.

Trump adviser Elon Musk working with DOGE has drawn attention to government buildings and properties leased from private landlords. Musk took credit for canceling 748 leases covering over 9 million square feet, pointing out the inefficiency of maintaining empty buildings.

"Crazy that the government was just renting and paying for upkeep services of hundreds of empty buildings!" Musk stated on his social media platform last week.

As the government moves forward with its plans, investors and developers will be watching closely to see how these federal property sales unfold.