FBI Headquarters to Relocate from Hoover Building to Reagan Building, Announces Kash Patel

FBI to Relocate Headquarters from Historic Hoover Building to Reagan Building

FBI Director Kash Patel announced Friday that the bureau will permanently close the J. Edgar Hoover FBI Building, ending a decades-long debate over the agency’s deteriorating headquarters in Washington, D.C.

The FBI has abandoned a nearly $5 billion proposal to construct a new building that would not have been operational until 2035. Instead, the bureau will relocate most headquarters staff to the existing Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, located just a few blocks away in downtown Washington.

“After more than 20 years of failed attempts, we finalized a plan to permanently close the FBI’s Hoover headquarters and move the workforce into a safe, modern facility,” Patel stated on social media. “Working directly with President Trump and Congress, we accomplished what no one else could.”

The decision represents a significant shift in the bureau’s long-term facilities planning. Officials have been seeking solutions for the aging Hoover Building, which opened in 1975 and has faced numerous structural and security challenges in recent years. The brutalist-style concrete structure, once considered innovative, has deteriorated significantly, with reports of falling concrete and outdated systems plaguing the facility.

Patel emphasized that the move will save American taxpayers billions of dollars compared to constructing an entirely new headquarters. He noted that key safety and infrastructure upgrades are already underway at the Reagan Building to accommodate the FBI’s specialized requirements.

“Once complete, most of the HQ FBI workforce will move in, and the rest are continuing in our ongoing push to put more manpower in the field, where they will remain,” Patel explained. “This decision puts resources where they belong: defending the homeland, crushing violent crime, and protecting national security. It delivers better tools for today’s FBI workforce at a fraction of the cost.”

The Reagan Building, completed in 1998, is the second-largest federal building in the United States after the Pentagon. The mixed-use facility already houses various government agencies and private-sector organizations, making it a significant hub of federal operations.

In a memo obtained earlier this year by Fox News Digital, Patel told FBI employees that the relocation represents the “most cost-effective way” to serve the American people. The director had previously hinted at plans to reallocate the bureau’s workforce throughout the country, with a greater emphasis on field operations rather than centralized headquarters functions.

The decision brings closure to a prolonged search for a new FBI headquarters that spanned more than a decade. The FBI and General Services Administration (GSA) had been evaluating options including potential locations in Maryland and Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C.

Real estate experts note that the move could significantly impact Washington’s commercial property landscape. The Hoover Building occupies a prime location on Pennsylvania Avenue, and its eventual redevelopment could transform that section of the capital’s ceremonial corridor.

The relocation plan marks a major administrative achievement for Patel, who has emphasized operational efficiency and cost reduction since taking leadership of the bureau. The timeline for completing renovations at the Reagan Building and fully transitioning staff from the Hoover Building has not yet been announced.

Security analysts suggest the move could also address longstanding vulnerabilities at the aging Hoover facility, which has struggled to keep pace with evolving security requirements for law enforcement headquarters in the post-9/11 era.

The FBI employs approximately 35,000 people nationwide, with several thousand based at its headquarters. The bureau maintains 56 field offices across the country, with additional legal attaché offices in U.S. embassies worldwide.