Trump Orders GSA to Sell Off Federal Properties—Iconic Modernist Buildings at Risk

The GSA-commissioned Flamingo by Alexander Calder (1973) at the Mies van der Rohe-designed Kluczynski Federal Building in Chicago. (Bex Walton/ Flickr/CC BY 2.0)

In a surprising move, the General Services Administration (GSA) has been directed to offload numerous federal properties, including leased and government-owned buildings. This directive has left many federal employees puzzled, especially since the Trump administration has been pushing for a full return to office work, reversing remote work policies.

Federal Property Sell-Off: What’s Happening?

According to an Associated Press report, GSA regional managers received emails from headquarters in Washington, D.C., instructing them to terminate leases across approximately 7,500 federal office locations. More recently, Wired revealed that the GSA has been tasked with selling over 500 “non-core” properties out of a total portfolio of 1,500 federal assets.

The GSA’s internal classification divides properties into “core” and “non-core.” Core buildings, such as federal courthouses, border inspection stations, and law enforcement facilities, are deemed essential. Meanwhile, non-core properties—often general office spaces housing government agencies and U.S. senators' offices—are being considered for disposal. The long-term goal, according to an internal document, is to shrink the federal real estate footprint by 50% and reduce the total number of buildings by 70%. The plan suggests transitioning tenants from government-owned buildings into privately leased spaces.

Historic and Architecturally Significant Buildings on the Chopping Block

This sweeping downsizing could put some of America’s most treasured architectural landmarks at risk. Among the GSA-owned properties potentially up for sale are several midcentury modern masterpieces designed by legendary architects:

• John C. Kluczynski Federal Building (Chicago) – Mies van der Rohe

• John F. Kennedy Federal Building (Boston) – Walter Gropius

• U.S. Tax Court Building (Washington, D.C.) – Victor Lundy

• Edith Green Wendell Wyatt Federal Building (Portland, OR) – SOM

• Alexander Hamilton U.S. Customs House (New York City)

  
  

Cornell University professor Esra Akcan expressed concern over the decision, emphasizing the historical and cultural value of these buildings. “Rather than selling off these significant structures, the government should be leading efforts to research, preserve, and renovate them,” Akcan stated.

Many of these structures were designed by European architects who fled fascism and went on to shape modernist architecture in the U.S. For instance, Walter Gropius, a Bauhaus founder, and Mies van der Rohe, a pioneer of modernist design, played pivotal roles in shaping American architectural education at institutions like Harvard University and the Illinois Institute of Technology.

Contradictions in Federal Architectural Policy

The potential sale of these modernist landmarks also seems at odds with the Trump administration’s 2020 executive order mandating a preference for Neoclassical architecture in federal buildings. The move to divest from historic modernist buildings while advocating for “traditional” styles raises questions about the administration’s broader architectural vision.

Additionally, the GSA is one of the country’s largest collectors of public art, housing works by renowned artists like Robert Irwin and Alexander Calder, as well as iconic New Deal-era WPA murals. It remains unclear how these public artworks will be handled should their host buildings be sold.

What’s Next?

The GSA’s plan to downsize federal real estate is still unfolding, and the final list of properties to be sold has not been officially confirmed. However, the potential loss of these architectural landmarks has sparked concern among preservationists, architects, and historians. As the government moves forward with its restructuring efforts, stakeholders are calling for greater transparency and a renewed commitment to preserving America’s architectural heritage.

Stay tuned as we continue to follow this developing story and its impact on historic federal buildings across the country.

The Century and Consumers Buildings in Chicago (Warren LeMay/Wikimedia Commons/CC BY-SA 2.0)

Walter Gropius designed The John F. Kennedy Federal Building in Downtown Boston. (Beyond My Ken/Wikimedia Commons/CC BY 2.0)