Shontel Brown

WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. Shontel Brown wants the Government Accountability Office to investigate whether the federal agency that handles government real estate followed proper procedures and best practices in its decision to sell Cleveland’s Anthony J. Celebrezze Federal Building.

Her office interprets a recent General Services Administration solicitation for Cleveland-area government office lease space as a sign that the agency is already moving forward with plans to relocate the Celebrezze building’s tenants so it can move forward with the sale.

GSA formally put the Celebrezze building up for sale in 2025, saying the move was part of President Donald Trump’s plan to “shrink the government’s real estate portfolio.” It estimated that selling the building would save taxpayers over $180 million in maintenance and redevelopment costs. Last spring, GSA told Brown’s office it planned to dispose of the building within three years and lease replacement space for its tenants.

The 1,194,675-square-foot building currently houses more than 4,000 federal workers from agencies including the Veterans Benefits Administration, the IRS, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Brown, a Warrensville Heights Democrat, sent a letter to Acting Comptroller General Orice Williams Brown on Wednesday, Feb. 25, asking the independent, nonpartisan investigative agency to examine what she described as an “accelerated disposition” of the steel and glass skyscraper on East 9th Street.

Previously:

Cleveland’s Celebrezze Federal Building put up for sale by GSA

‘Looting the federal government’: Shontel Brown rips DOGE over potential closure of Cleveland federal building

A GSA solicitation posted to SAM.gov in October increased Brown’s concerns. It sought competitive lease proposals for 7,500 to 10,000 square feet of furnished, as-is office space in the Cleveland/Brooklyn Heights area on a 10-year lease term.

The notice described the space as intended for “administrative operations in support of law enforcement.” It specified that space must be delivered fully furnished and that the government does not anticipate providing tenant improvement allowances.

Law enforcement tenants in the Celebrezze building include U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

“I am aware that GSA has taken the first step in its reckless rush to dispose of the Celebrezze Federal Building by seeking information on space availability and rental rates for the resulting lease projects,” said a statement from Brown. “Throughout this process, GSA has stonewalled my office as we seek the basic facts behind their decision. This is simply unacceptable, and it has real consequences for Cleveland, our federal workers, and taxpayers’ money.”

When Cleveland.com asked a GSA spokeswoman which agency the solicited space would house, whether the solicitation was related to the Celebrezze building sale, and whether it found suitable space, GSA issued a statement that did not address those questions:

“GSA is committed to working with all of our partner agencies to meet their workspace needs,” it said. “GSA remains focused on supporting this administration’s goal of optimizing the federal footprint and providing the best workplaces for our federal agencies to meet their mission. GSA is following all lease procurement procedures in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations.”

In her letter to GAO, Brown raised five specific questions she is asking the watchdog to examine. Among them: whether GSA’s reliance on a single $180 million deferred maintenance figure as the primary justification for the sale meets the GAO’s own best-practice standards for lifecycle cost analysis; whether the agency properly assessed utilization and consolidation opportunities before deciding that continued ownership was no longer cost-effective; and whether GSA’s refusal to share supporting analysis with Congress aligns with GAO guidance on transparency and documentation.

“GSA also continues to rely on a single deferred maintenance figure that doesn’t pass the smell test,” Brown said. “Deferred maintenance doesn’t constitute actual taxpayer savings, and GSA has refused to share even the most basic details from their analysis or explain how this plan aligns with new space utilization requirements.”

Brown has consistently opposed the sale, arguing in her letter to GAO that the agency has provided no comparative analysis weighing the avoided maintenance costs against the full costs of leasing replacement space — including tenant improvements, relocation expenses, and long-term rent escalation.

“That’s why I’m asking GAO to step in and answer some basic questions: whether this decision follows best practices, reflects real long-term value, and meets the standard of accountability taxpayers deserve,” she said.

The Celebrezze building, which opened in 1966, is named for former Cleveland Mayor Anthony J. Celebrezze, who died in 1998. It is the largest federal building in Ohio targeted for sale by the Trump administration.