GSA at 75: A federal landlord and a good neighbor

This is part of a series of GSA.gov blog entries that highlight the agency’s past, present and future as it marks 75 years on July 1.

While the mission of many federal agencies is obvious by their names – justice, environment, education – “general services” doesn’t immediately explain what goes on from the GSA headquarters at 1800 F Street and in our regional offices around the country. 

GSA is informally known as the government’s landlord, and understandably so: With a real estate portfolio of some 8,800 owned and leased assets such as office buildings, courthouses, land ports of entry, laboratories and other workspaces, the agency oversees about 370 million square feet of workspace across the U.S. and six territories for 1.1 million federal employees. 

A portfolio of this magnitude requires expertise in architecture, construction, building operations and technology, historic preservation, leasing, and acquisition. The GSA of today is not just a landlord, but rather a leader in the building industry for its emphasis on sustainability, and the use of “green” and low embodied carbon materials in the design, construction and maintenance of its facilities.    

The buck starts here

After World War II, President Harry S. Truman and Congress saw value in consolidating functions that would be used across many agencies, including overseeing federal real estate properties. In 1949, GSA was founded.

One of GSA’s first major projects was gutting and renovating the White House in 1952. Truman lived temporarily at Blair House, a townhouse a short walk away.

In the 1960s, as the federal government grew in Washington, so did GSA. The 1967 Public Buildings Act granted GSA the authority to buy land and build for federal tenants. The Federal Buildings Fund was launched, which allows the agency to “lease” space to its tenant agencies and collect rent. At the same time, GSA coordinated major updates and renovations of federal buildings that existed before the agency was created. GSA also solidified its role as a good steward of real estate through the creation of key programs. For example, the agency soon established a historic preservation program since many of the oldest federal buildings needed expert care to maintain their architectural and cultural significance: About 500 historic properties are in GSA’s portfolio today. GSA also established its Art in Architecture program, ensuring that a small, but important portion of construction funds in major projects would be set aside to procure commissioned works from living American artists that reflected diversity in our communities and our country. 

As the turn of the century approached, GSA worked more closely with renowned architects to prioritize beautiful design in federal building construction, and launched the prestigious Design Excellence program that continues to this day. 

And GSA addressed a high demand from employees by opening child care centers in federal buildings to support federal families. Thousands use over 100 child care facilities on a daily basis today.

Changing the blueprint 

As these programs blossomed, so did GSA’s in-house expertise in real estate, especially in the 1980s and 1990s.  

Not only did the agency employ smarter ways to buy property and construct buildings, it also ramped up its disposal of federal properties that were no longer needed, benefitting taxpayers and communities. 

In recent decades, GSA has focused on reducing its federal footprint to deliver more cost savings to taxpayers:

• With a new 15-year lease, the Las Vegas EPA office reduced their space by 57% and will save more than $3 million per year in rent, more than $47 million over the lease term.
• Veterans Benefits Administration in St. Louis moved into federal space when their lease expired. Their new space – 54% smaller – will save $2.1 million every year.
• Chicago’s U.S. Probation in federal space reduced their square footage by 55%, saving $1.5 million.

In Washington’s Union Square neighborhood, anchored by Union Station, the capitol city’s main rail hub, mixed-use retail and office space have been introduced, and the transformation has spread to surrounding neighborhoods. This reflects GSA’s commitment to long-term investment in its neighbors, such as Gallaudet University and the Government Publishing Office. 

It’s not just Washington that benefits from GSA’s thoughtful approaches. For example, in Douglas, Arizona, a new Land Port of Entry construction project funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will move commercial traffic a few miles outside the city instead of having trucks rumbling through downtown. As this happens, the city is bringing utilities, a connector road, a well, and a grant for much-needed high speed broadband internet services. GSA has jumpstarted new investment and job opportunities, and an industrial zone. 

GSA’s Good Neighbor Program specifically focuses on improving local communities, ensuring that federal buildings are a vibrant part of the neighborhoods where they reside. New and renovated facilities support local economic development and planning goals, while special efforts to modify outside areas and landscape can help reduce heat, purify the air and contribute to the environment. For example, investing in native trees reduces the need for watering and follow-up care. Perhaps a beehive can find its way to a federal facility in your area. 

GSA’s global portfolio

GSA’s portfolio has grown to about 370 million square feet of space across the U.S. and eight territories: American Samoa, Guam, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Marshall Islands, Puerto Rico, the Republic of Palau and the U.S. Virgin Islands. That includes 1,700 owned and 6,700 leased assets of office buildings, courthouses, land ports of entry, laboratories, and other workspaces. 

Currently, over 5,600 employees in the Public Buildings Service at GSA — the agency’s largest team — manage this portfolio, partnering with federal agency customers, the private sector, and the people who live around and visit federal properties. 

Sustainability

A major priority has been making the federal portfolio more sustainable, given the impact of emissions from both constructing and operating large facilities. 

Over the years, GSA has adopted energy-efficient building and operation standards, incorporated green technologies from innovative American companies, and implemented investments from laws like the Inflation Reduction Act. All of these actions have boosted the agency’s efforts to modernize its footprint in ways that create jobs, save taxpayer money, and build a healthier future for the planet.  

Of course, prioritizing safe, efficient, sustainable buildings is nothing new for the government’s landlord. For example,  in 1973, GSA implemented its first energy conservation plan, and rolled out new specifications to guard against air pollution on GSA construction sites and improve worker safety. Moreover, once GSA adopted the use of the LEED rating system nearly 25 years ago, it became the global standard for measuring building performance. 

Looking ahead

Today, GSA is actively working with agencies to adjust and adapt, including innovative approaches to workspaces. As the government changes its work models and delivery of services,  so is GSA doubling down on its commitment to delivering safe, smart and sustainable workspaces that enable federal employees and agencies to best serve the American people.