‘Slap in the face’ to Cleveland: Congresswoman Brown confirms Celebrezze Federal Building to be sold

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – Congresswoman Shontel Brown (OH-11) has confirmed the U.S. General Services Administration’s (GSA) plan to sell the Anthony J. Celebrezze Federal Building in Downtown Cleveland, calling the decision a “slap in the face” to Cleveland.

Rumors over the potential closure and sale of the AJC building have been swirling since its appearance on a GSA disposal list earlier this month. The building had been listed for sale, then removed days later with no explanation given by the GSA.

The building was on the “non-core property list”, which identifies buildings that the U.S. General Services Administration deems are not “core to government operations, or non-core properties”.

“The Trump Administration is delivering a slap in the face to the City of Cleveland by rushing to sell the Celebrezze building,” said Congresswoman Brown. “The Celebrezze building is a critical cornerstone for Cleveland’s federal operations and a vital anchor for the downtown economy. This reckless and short-sighted fire-sale will disrupt essential federal services and undermine the City’s critical investments in the downtown economy. What’s more, it will inflict further trauma on public servants, who have been relentlessly attacked by DOGE and this Administration with return-to-work orders and indiscriminate firings. Our city and our people deserve better than being treated as collateral damage in DOGE’s reckless cost-cutting schemes.”

Congresswoman Brown says the federal government will look to short term leases for the 4,000+ employees that use the building within multiple federal departments. She fears that it would leave to even greater uncertainty:

“There is no guarantee that suitable relocation options will even be secured. The likely outcome is therefore not merely disruption—it is a direct reduction in federal employment in Ohio, with serious consequences for the local economy.”

The AJC building would be sold within the next three years, with the Congresswoman’s office telling 19 News that the federal government would need to find leases for every agency in the building, ensuring there is enough space, and physically move all equipment.

Agencies in the building include: Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

19 News has reached out to the GSA for comment and have yet to hear back.

Last week, Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb and Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne called on the federal government to keep the building under federal ownership to keep these agencies downtown.

Copyright 2025 WOIO. All rights reserved.