Construction Begins on New IU Headquarters

Architect’s rendering of the IU’s new headquarters.

From left, BAC Secretary-Treasurer James Boland, Executive Vice Presidents Gerald O’Malley and Ken Lambert, and President John Flynn at the groundbreaking for the new IU headquarters in November.

On November 5, 2004, BAC President John J. Flynn and members of the IU Executive Board participated in a ceremonial groundbreaking to signal the start of construction for the International Union’s new headquarters in downtown Washington, D.C.

The 11-story building, located at 620 F Street, N.W., is a joint venture between the IU and the Shakespeare Theatre. BAC will own the upper six floors, most of which will be leased, and occupy the remaining space. The lower floors will provide additional offices and performance space for the Shakespeare Theatre.

At a press briefing before the formal groundbreaking ceremony, President Flynn said, “Some may think that the Bricklayers and Shakespeare Theatre are unlikely partners. But if you think about it, we’re really ideal partners. The Shakespeare Theatre’s artisans and staff, like our members and the other union craft workers that will work on this project, are concerned first and foremost with quality. Our union members will build a structure that brings a lasting beauty to this area of the city.”

Speaking on the same subject at the winter meeting of BAC’s Executive Council, Flynn pointed out that in addition to providing a permanent address for Union business, this project was very appealing to the IU’s Executive Board for several reasons. All financial projections indicate that it will to be a very successful investment for the union:

• Create work opportunities for BAC members. The building will incorporate as much masonry as possible into the new base building structure, and interior fit out, including a French limestone façade with an AAC backing.
• BAC will own all the parking below the footprint of the building, which will provide steady revenue for the Union.
• BAC will get all the top, high rent floors, and not have to worry about renting retail space at street level.
• BAC will get a building with 20,000 square foot floor plates, which are very important for modern office layouts, without having to build a structure of twice the size (and cost) to achieve the same result.

In addition, both Shakespeare’s and BAC’s move-in dates were perfectly aligned with the building completion date set for the Fall of 2006.