The John W. McCormack Building in Boston, a 727,000-square-foot federal office property, has been identified by the Public Buildings Review Board (PBRB) as one of 26 federal assets nationwide under consideration for potential sale. The property currently accommodates agencies including the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, along with other federal tenants, according to reporting from the Boston Business Journal.
While the PBRB did not release specific occupancy or utilization figures for the McCormack Building itself, the board said the broader group of 26 properties being evaluated for disposition is significantly underused. Across that portfolio, the buildings are reported to average about 80% occupancy due to existing lease commitments, yet are only about 25% utilized, indicating a substantial gap between leased and actively used space.
The McCormack Building has been characterized as a candidate for repurposing, in line with a broader trend in downtown Boston where roughly a dozen buildings are in the process of being converted into apartments. That comparison underscores the potential for a shift in how older office properties in the city may be used, particularly where federal facilities are no longer fully aligned with current space needs.
Within New England, the McCormack Building is one of two federal assets identified by the PBRB for possible sale. The other is the 24,000-square-foot U.S. Custom House in Portland, ME, which is also part of the underutilized federal portfolio now under review. No additional details were provided on the operational status or timing of decisions for either property.
Not all major federal facilities in Boston are currently under consideration. The O’Neill building near North Station and the JFK building at Government Center were both noted as significant federal properties in the city that have not been listed by the PBRB for potential sale. Their exclusion highlights that the current review is targeted rather than sweeping, focused on assets the board views as substantially underutilized.
The PBRB’s review reflects a broader federal effort to reassess real estate needs in light of evolving workplace patterns and agency space requirements. For Boston, the potential sale and repurposing of the McCormack Building would add to an active backdrop of downtown office conversions, even as core federal functions continue to be housed in other major government complexes that remain outside the current disposition list.
