Homeland Security Looks to Fast-Track Demolition of Vacant Historic Buildings in DC

The St. Elizabeths West Campus is where DHS is headquartered. The department said the buildings need to be torn down for security reasons.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem attends a House Homeland Security hearing titled "Worldwide Threats to the Homeland" on Capitol Hill in Washington on Dec. 11, 2025. Reuters/Elizabeth Frantz

WASHINGTON—The Department of Homeland Security is seeking an emergency demolition of historic buildings in the nation’s capital.

The Washington Post first reported this development, citing documents it had obtained. The DHS verified the authenticity of a memo in response to a request from The Epoch Times.

The department is looking to tear down dozens of buildings on the St. Elizabeths campus, including vacant buildings on the property’s West Campus, where DHS is headquartered. The East Campus is an active mental health facility. St. Elizabeths Hospital used to be known as the “Government Hospital for the Insane.”

In a statement to The Epoch Times, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said that the buildings need to be torn down for safety and security reasons.

“This is about safety,“ she said. ”DHS security and safety assessments have determined that these dilapidated, vacant buildings on the DHS campus pose unacceptable safety, security, and emergency-response risks.”

McLaughlin explained why the buildings pose a security risk.

“Several of these structures cannot be safely accessed or cleared by law enforcement or first responders, creating security blind spots adjacent to senior leadership and critical operations,” she said. "Demolition is the only permanent corrective action that eliminates these.

“The emergency determination is based on current safety and security conditions and is supported by DHS law enforcement and security professionals.

“The department’s priority is protecting personnel, leadership, and mission operations.”

In an assessment, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the vacant buildings “may be accessed by unauthorized individuals seeking to cause harm to personnel” and that they “provide a tactical advantage for carrying out small arms or active shooter scenarios.”

The General Services Administration informed District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser of the demolition plan on Dec. 23.

The St. Elizabeths campus was put on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 and was certified as a National Historic Landmark in 1990.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation and the D.C. Preservation League oppose the proposed demolition.

“A unilateral declaration like this is problematic because it bypasses the procedural safeguards designed to ensure stability, legitimacy and fairness,” a Dec. 28 letter to the General Services Administration signed by Elizabeth Merritt, the National Trust’s general counsel, and Rebecca Miller, the Preservation League’s executive director, states, according to The Washington Post.

The preservation groups said in their letter that the Department of Homeland Security has “not provided evidence of changed circumstances that would warrant ‘emergency’ demolition.”