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Steph Kukuljan | Post-Dispatch ST. LOUIS — National, state and local leaders celebrated the opening of the $1.7 billion National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency’s north side campus Friday, calling it a new era for the agency’s more than 80-year partnership with the St. Louis region. “We look forward to our growth together,” NGA Director Vice Admiral Frank Whitworth said. Friday’s ceremony was years in the making, from when federal officials began scouting for new locations to replace its Arsenal Street campus more than a decade ago to the selection of the St. Louis Place neighborhood in 2016, to the groundbreaking in late 2019 — though its origins in St. Louis trace back to World War II. “This moment has been a long time coming,” said Tulsi Gabbard, the director of National Intelligence. Many of the key leaders involved in the effort to put NGA in north St. Louis were in attendance, including former Sen. Roy Blunt, former St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay, former U.S. Rep Lacy Clay and interim leader of the St. Louis Development Corp., Otis Williams. NGA employees are expected to begin moving to the new campus in the coming months, mostly from the agency’s existing site near Anheuser-Busch Brewery 5 miles south. Geospatial intelligence involves the collection and analysis of physical features and human activities around the world to keep military and government planners up to date with on-the-ground intelligence. With the rise of artificial intelligence and other technology, the industry is expected to play an even bigger role in defense, officials said. “The work our people do in the intelligence community must be connected to the people we serve,” Gabbard said. The Globe Building in downtown St. Louis served as NGA’s first location in the region, when the U.S. entered World War II and needed to accelerate its work in aeronautical mapping. The agency relocated in the 1950s to a new facility on the historic St. Louis Arsenal site in South City, near the brewery and Mississippi River. In the early 2000s, officials began scouting the region for a new location; North City was one of four sites considered, along with Scott Air Force Base in the Metro East. The NGA announced in spring 2016 that it had chosen a 92-acre site at Jefferson and Cass avenues. It took a herculean effort of collaboration among local, state and national leaders to keep the NGA in St. Louis. More than $100 million was spent relocating residents and businesses, demolishing buildings and prepping the site for construction. “When you think about St. Louis ... about regional growth and cooperation, sometimes you’ve gotta approach that situation like porcupines approach sex,” said U.S. Rep. Wesley Bell, D-St. Louis, whose district includes NGA. A lot is riding on the new campus for the St. Louis region. Boosters, political leaders and the business community are hoping the sprawling complex will drive the region’s economic growth with the advent of new jobs, companies and, potentially, more residents. “This will become a hub of economic development,” Blunt said. “It will happen.” Added Bell: “This facility cements St. Louis as a cornerstone in defense.” NGA already has spurred new initiatives in the lead-up to its opening, including the Taylor Geospatial Institute, launched in 2022, with backing from Andy Taylor to aid industry collaboration and led by former NGA Director Robert Cardillo; GeoFutures, a “roadmap” created by the St. Louis business lobby to spur industry growth; and the multimillion-dollar revamp of the Globe Building to cater to the industry, including specialized space called sensitive compartmented information facilities, or SCIF, where classified information can be shared between the government and private companies. The Cortex tech district in Midtown also has built up its holdings, with 11 geospatial companies. The region’s universities, officials said, will be crucial in helping the region and NGA remain competitive. “The next generation is key,” said U.S. Rep Ann Wagner, R-Ballwin. The Army Corp of Engineers led the construction of the new campus, which features a 700,000-square-foot office building, two parking garages, a visitor center. The McCarthy HITT joint venture, which features Des Peres-based construction firm McCarthy Building Cos., served as the general contractor. On eve of NGA opening, neighborhoods still waiting for a boost AI firm moves to new downtown St. Louis office as NGA opening nears Native American geospatial nonprofit finds home in downtown St. Louis
