The FBI Central Records Complex in Frederick County is a repository for billions of pages of records from 56 FBI field offices and other locations around the nation. Photo by Will Schermerhorn
After 16 years in the making, the $135 million FBI Central Records Complex opened in Frederick County in August 2020.
The 225,000-square-foot facility off Millwood Pike (U.S. 50) is designed to archive billions of pages of FBI records — some dating back to the bureau’s earliest days — from its 56 field offices and other locations around the country. It also provides the infrastructure and technology for the FBI to continue to digitize records on demand.
The FBI first announced plans in 2004 to consolidate and relocate its Records Management Division to a secure location near Winchester, and the U.S. General Services Administration identified a site in the White Hall section of Frederick County, near the West Virginia line. The facility was expected to be operational by 2010, but escalating costs and a major economic downturn delayed the project until Virginia’s congressional delegation, led by former U.S. Rep. Frank Wolf and U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, once again secured funding for it in 2014.
