Seattle federal buildings on Trump administration’s list for potential sale

The Henry M. Jackson Federal Building and two other federal campuses in Seattle could be put up for sale as the Trump administration seeks to purge what it calls “vacant and underutilized federal spaces.”

The 37-story building at 915 Second Ave. was one of 443 entries that appeared in a “non-core property list” Tuesday on the U.S. General Services Administration’s website. The list features some of the nation’s most recognizable buildings, like the FBI headquarters and the main Department of Justice building, and includes sites in nearly every state, ranging from court houses to parking garages.

“We are identifying buildings and facilities that are not core to government operations, or non-core properties for disposal,” according to the GSA. “Selling ensures that taxpayer dollars are no longer spent on vacant or underutilized federal spaces. Disposing of these assets helps eliminate costly maintenance and allows us to reinvest in high-quality work environments that support agency missions.”

Also listed as “not core” to government operations was the Federal Center South office at 4735 E. Marginal Way S.; its parking center; the 1202 Building; the 12021 Building; and a Bureau of Indian Affairs Office at the same site.

The 1202 Building, on the site of a former Ford Motor assembly plant, is home to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers offices. The property underwent a “state-of-the-art” $72 million project to modernize through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

Another government site on the GSA’s list is the Seattle Federal Office Building, an 11-story building at 909 First Ave., built in 1933.

The Jackson federal building was constructed in 1974 and renamed in 1984, following the death of longtime senator and two-time Democratic presidential candidate “Scoop” Jackson.

It is home to the Internal Revenue Services offices for taxpayers in Alaska, Idaho, Washington and Oregon. U.S. Veterans Affairs and the U.S. Coast Guard had also expanded their spaces in the building in recent years. It’s the largest federal office building in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska.

As of 2020, about 1,900 federal employees worked in the building.

In 2024, the Biden administration requested a $17.5 million investment in upgrades for the building’s electrical and fire systems.

“The Henry M. Jackson Federal Building is a community hub, providing American citizens in the Pacific Northwest with critical access to services provided by their federal government,” said Sukhee Kang, then-administrator of GSA’s Northwest/Arctic region. “Life safety upgrades ensure that the building can continue to meet the needs of the staff who work there and the public they serve.”

The General Services Administration has sold off properties in the past in Washington.

The GSA’s Northwest/Arctic Region sold off a 129-acre federal site to an industrial realtor in Auburn in 2022. Marketed as Pacific Point, it sold for $80 million.

The city of Bellingham bought the federal building for $1 in 2004, which came with a $2.6 million grant to fund historic preservation and improvements, according to The Bellingham Herald. It was converted into offices for city departments including Public Works, retaining a U.S. post office and a federal courtroom in the building.