Federal Government Confirms Plan to Sell Celebrezze Building in Downtown Cleveland

CLEVELAND, OH — The U.S. General Services Administration has officially confirmed plans to sell the Anthony J. Celebrezze Federal Building in downtown Cleveland, a move that could relocate thousands of federal workers and reshape the city’s office real estate landscape. The 32-story, 1.2-million-square-foot tower, which currently houses around 4,000 employees from more than 30 federal agencies, is part of an initiative by the Trump administration to shrink the government’s real estate portfolio.

“This is the first step in GSA’s disposition process,” the agency stated Thursday, describing the strategy as one that allows for properties to be transferred, exchanged, or sold to government entities or the general public after community engagement. The GSA says the sale is expected to save taxpayers over $180 million in maintenance and redevelopment costs, with broader savings from the federal real estate reduction effort projected to exceed $430 million annually.

While the GSA has emphasized coordination with local officials and stakeholders, the announcement has been met with concern from regional leaders. Congresswoman Shontel Brown (D-Ohio), whose district encompasses Cleveland, has been vocally critical of the plan. “The Trump Administration’s plan to sell the Celebrezze building is an insult to Cleveland and the people of Northeast Ohio,” Brown said in a statement issued Thursday. She warned the sale could result in job losses, degraded public services, and further disinvestment in the city’s downtown core.

Brown’s opposition stems not only from the potential workforce impact, but also from a lack of trust in the government’s relocation promises. A member of her staff previously told WKYC that the administration's assurances to lease alternative office space for federal workers "doesn't pass the smell test."

According to NEOtrans, the building is currently only about 55 percent occupied. The GSA had previously initiated $31 million in renovation work on the building, originally constructed in 1966, but that work was abruptly halted. Construction materials were reportedly left on site with no further clarification from the agency. Once fully vacated—expected within three years—the building will first be offered to local and state governments, potentially at deep discounts or for free, under federal disposal rules. If no entity steps forward, the GSA will open the property for public sale.

Despite speculation that the Celebrezze site might be considered for Cuyahoga County’s new consolidated courthouse, County Executive Chris Ronayne told NEOtrans that it was not submitted in time to be included in the formal request-for-proposals process, making it ineligible for consideration.

The Celebrezze building currently houses workers from agencies such as the Veterans Benefits Administration, the Department of Homeland Security, the Internal Revenue Service, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. As part of the relocation, the GSA plans to lease space for these employees primarily in existing privately owned buildings in downtown Cleveland, a move that could bolster the local office leasing market, which has struggled in recent years.

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