The Department of Employment Services building is currently located on the site. The agency is expected to relocate by July 1, 2001. The Freedom Forum will tear down the existing building and break ground for a new development by the end of 2001.

The Freedom Forum/Newseum development will include the Newseum, the organizations's headquarters, a international conference center, a restaurant and retail facilities and approximately 100 condominiums. The 476,000 sf project will allow the Newseum to more than double its size.

As part of its bid for the site in July 2000, the Freedom Forum offered the District government $25 million to be used at its discretion for low- and moderate-income housing, contingent on the transaction being completed by the end of 2000. The $25-million grant was paid Dec. 21. The law firm of Nixon Peabody provided legal counsel in structuring the proposal, negotiating the deal terms and facilitating approval processes.