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The directorate of the FBI has announced a major plan: the agency will shutter for good its longtime headquarters and move personnel to different facilities.

Relocation Plans for the Top Investigative Organization

According to a latest statement, the older J. Edgar Hoover Building, a fixture in downtown DC, will be closed permanently. The workforce will be stationed in current locations elsewhere.

This strategic change will see a portion of agents and staff taking over space within the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, which previously housed another federal agency.

“After more than 20 years of failed attempts, we put together a deal to completely vacate the FBI’s Hoover headquarters and move the workforce into a safe, modern facility,” the announcement said.

Modernization and Homeland Defense Focus

The move is framed as a way to more wisely spend funding. Officials stated that this action directs funds to critical areas: on combating threats, fighting crime, and protecting national security.

It is also touted as providing the agency's personnel with enhanced capabilities at a fraction of the cost compared to renovating the older structure.

Legal Controversies and the Headquarters' History

This decision comes after recent political challenges concerning the bureau's future home. Earlier, state leaders had sued over the cancellation of an earlier proposal to move the headquarters to their state, arguing that money had already been approved by Congress for that purpose.

The J. Edgar Hoover Building itself is a notable example of concrete-heavy design, conceived and built in the 1960s. Its aesthetic has long been a point of debate, as it broke with the architectural style of most federal buildings in the city.

Its own former director, J. Edgar Hoover, was reportedly dismissive of the building, once lambasting it as “the ugliest building ever built in the history of Washington.”