Most of the historic buildings that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wants to demolish under the guise of “emergency conditions” are actually structurally sound and could be renovated and reused.
A team of engineers found in August that nine of the 13 buildings slated for emergency demolition have just minor or moderate defects, The Washington Post reported.
“What looks alarming in photos represents localized repairable conditions rather than systemic structural failure,” according to a report by the infrastructure company AECOM that was obtained by the Post. “The core buildings remain viable for stabilization and future adaptive reuse.”
The buildings are part of a fortified 176-acre complex that formerly housed a hospital created by Congress in 1855 to provide mental health care for the Army, Navy, and District of Columbia.
Over the past 15 years, the Department of Homeland Security and the General Services Administration have been transforming the site, a National Historic Landmark called St. Elizabeths Campus West, into the DHS headquarters.
Two days before Christmas, the GSA suddenly notified the city of Washington, D.C., that it was planning an emergency demolition of 17 historic buildings because they “constitute a present risk to life and property.”
The National Capital Planning Commission and Commission of Fine Arts has already signed off on demolishing four of the buildings, but 13 haven’t been properly reviewed yet.
The demolition notice was accompanied by a safety assessment report from DHS that envisioned a “malicious insider” such a disgruntled employee using the vacant buildings as a place to store weapons or stage an attack on DHS leadership.
“Several vacant structures within the campus perimeter are in such deteriorated condition that they cannot be safely accessed or cleared by law enforcement or emergency responders,” the memo said.
The buildings, however, are “generally in stable condition,” according to the report cited by the Post. Just one was listed as “critical,” meaning it’s in imminent danger of collapse, while three have “significant structural issues or safety hazards” that need to be repaired.
GSA spokesperson Marianne Copenhaver told the Post in a statement that AECOM’s report had failed to “capture the security-driven rationale for demolition.”
The Department of Homeland Security defended its emergency determination in a statement to the Daily Beast.
“The emergency determination is based on current safety and security conditions and is supported by DHS law enforcement and security professionals,” Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said. “The Department’s priority is protecting personnel, leadership, and mission operations.”
Preservationists have accused the administration of inventing an emergency that doesn’t exist to avoid going through the proper review process, especially since St. Elizabeths Campus West already has the highest security level for a government facility.
The buildings have been vacant for many years, and the government has never flagged them as a security risk until now.
“The precedent could be devastating for sites across the country. If an agency can declare an emergency to tear down buildings, then it could happen anywhere,” Rebecca Miller, executive director of the D.C. Preservation League, told the Post.
By law, preservationists can respond to emergency notifications about the site. The National Trust for Historic Preservation and the D.C. Preservation League have asked to participate in a detailed on-site assessment of the structures, but as of Wednesday they hadn’t received a response, according to the Post.
The planned demolition comes on the heels of President Donald Trump tearing down the East Wing of White House to make room for a massive new ballroom that will dwarf the executive residence where presidents and their families traditionally live.
The National Trust has sued the White House to try to block the construction.
