DHS looks to demolish historic St Elizabeths buildings due to 'unacceptable' risks
Historic St. Elizabeths buildings face demolition as DHS claims emergency conditions. The move is facing pushback from preservation groups.
Crumbling building at historic St. Elizabeths campus
Video shows a deteriorating historic building at the St. Elizabeths West Campus in Washington, a former psychiatric hospital complex now being redeveloped into Department of Homeland Security headquarters. (Credit: GSA)
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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is moving to demolish a cluster of historic buildings at a long-vacant former psychiatric hospital complex in Washington D.C. that is being redeveloped into headquarters for the agency, according to documents obtained by The Washington Post.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem wrote in a Dec. 19 memo to the General Services Administration (GSA), obtained by the Post, that the buildings in question at St. Elizabeths’ 176-acre West Campus "present a risk to life and property" and that "demolition is the only permanent measure that resolves the emergency conditions."
DHS included a security risk assessment report with the memo that Noem said supports immediate corrective action.
The assessment states the vacant buildings could be accessed by unauthorized individuals and could provide a tactical advantage for small-arms or active-shooter scenarios. The report also warned of threats from "malicious insiders," including employees or contractors with legitimate access who could exploit the vacant buildings to target executives, disrupt operations or compromise sensitive information.
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A split image shows the interior and exterior deterioration of an abandoned historic building at the St. Elizabeths campus in Southeast Washington, D.C. The former psychiatric hospital complex is now being redeveloped into the Department of Homeland Security’s headquarters, as DHS seeks emergency demolition of multiple structures at the site. (GSA)
In total, DHS is seeking to demolish 17 buildings. Four have already received approval from federal planning bodies, while the remaining 13 have not been reviewed or approved and are now being pushed through under the emergency demolition designation, according to preservation officials.
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News Digital that buildings at the site need to be demolished for safety reasons.
