A recently deleted list featuring hundreds of government properties that the General Services Administration (GSA) intends to sell has come to light, revealing a significant portion of a vast and highly sensitive federal complex located in Springfield, Virginia. This complex is known to host a covert facility operated by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), as reported by WIRED.
The GSA’s initiative to sell off these numerous U.S. government properties forms part of a sweeping overhaul of the federal government and its workforce, spearheaded by Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). This department, which includes a team of young engineers lacking prior government experience, has led to widespread job cuts, the near-total dissolution of entirely independent agencies, and a surge of legal actions aimed at countering DOGE’s aggressive restructuring of governmental operations over the past six weeks.
The GSA made this list public on Tuesday but removed it shortly after, the following day. Before the complete list of 443 properties was taken down, over 120 entries had discreetly vanished, including 14 buildings that weren’t even included in the Inventory of Owned and Leased Properties, an extensive public record of GSA assets.
Many of these properties were noted under the titles “Butler” or “Franconia,” except for one referred to simply as “Building A, 6810.” Public documents indicate that they are part of the expansive Parr-Franconia Warehouse Complex, also known as the GSA Warehouse, which is securely enclosed by chain-link fencing topped with barbed wire at 6810 Loisdale Road in Springfield.
While most buildings in this complex, constructed in the early 1950s, are believed to serve routine purposes for various government entities, a notable structure, a U-shaped building located centrally within the complex, is infamous for its alleged connections to the CIA. This building sits adjacent to the warehouse and across from the Transportation Security Administration headquarters.
“Clearly, someone failed to do their homework regarding the well-documented history of this location,” remarked Jeff McKay, chair of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors and a long-time proponent of revitalizing the area, which is conveniently situated near a Metro station in an affluent neighborhood. “A site like this typically wouldn’t be disclosed, so to speak, but its existence is common knowledge, except it seems, to those responsible for compiling this list.”
The CIA’s activities within the building at 6801 Springfield Center Drive, not entirely visible from the street, were first highlighted in 2012 by the Washington Business Journal, which referred to the agency’s presence in the region as “possibly the worst-kept secret in Springfield.” The most detailed description of the facility’s function can be found in the 2011 nonfiction book on espionage, Fallout: The True Story of the CIA’s Secret War on Nuclear Trafficking, authored by Catherine Collins and Douglas Frantz. The authors note, while discussing a clandestine operation, “There were two pick-and-lock specialists from the agency’s secret facility in Springfield, Virginia. In a warehouse-like building there, the CIA trains a cadre of technical officers to bug offices, break into houses, and penetrate computer systems.” (It remains unclear whether such operations are currently ongoing.)
