AUGUSTA, Maine — The federal building near the State House in Augusta, the historic U.S. Custom House in Portland and a Presque Isle building are on a list of 440 properties across the country that President Donald Trump’s administration is thinking of selling.
The U.S. General Services Administration published the list of properties on Tuesday, saying in a news release that they are “functionally obsolete.” The Trump administration will consider selling the buildings, but it is open to “creative solutions” that include selling buildings and leasing offices back and said it plans to consolidate services delivered in these places.
It is unclear how serious the Republican president’s administration is about offloading the buildings, which include nearly 80 million square feet of office space in 47 states. Trump and billionaire “government efficiency” czar Elon Musk have been targeting a 50 percent reduction in space occupied by federal workers, terminating leases across the country.
It remains unlikely that the federal government will get rid of all the buildings on the list, which includes prime real estate in Washington, D.C., from the Department of Justice headquarters, to the FBI office across the street and historic buildings near the White House.
Maine’s most notable public-facing building on the list is the seven-story Edmund S. Muskie Federal Building in Augusta, which was built in 1966 and houses the city’s main post office as well as smaller offices including those of U.S. Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King.
The Custom House in Portland, which was built between 1867 and 1872 to accommodate the city’s growing importance as a port, is one of the most striking buildings in Maine’s largest city. The I-shaped building is highlighted by the grand two-story customs hall, which is in the central portion of the first and second floors and has a checkerboard marble floor.
It is closed to the public but is available for some events after renovations in the early 2010s and houses employees from several federal agencies. A worker from the U.S. Export Assistance Center who occupies a corner of the building with a view of the Old Port told News Center Maine last year that he may have the best office in Maine.
Also on the list are the Social Security Administration building in Presque Isle, which is one of eight field offices of its kind across the country, as well as a parking area in Portland.
The Augusta and Portland buildings would likely be of interest to developers because of their prime locations. Former state Sen. Matt Pouliot, R-Augusta, who runs a real estate firm in his home city, said the Muskie building would be more attractive if the federal government agrees to lease the space it currently uses there.
Maine’s capital city is no stranger to debates over the government’s footprint. A 2015 plan from former Gov. Paul LePage’s administration would have pulled state employees out of leased spaces and into new state-owned offices that would be exempt from property taxes. The city opposed it, and LePage acceded to a privately owned building that opened in 2019.
Pouliot said lease-back agreements are a win-win for cities and higher levels of government because the buildings join the tax rolls and the agencies that work there can give up maintenance tasks and reduce their footprints as workforces grow and contract.
“Any building that’s owned by the federal, state or local government is not currently participating in the economic cycle,” he said.
