McCarthy HITT and NGA Celebrate Completion and Opening of Next NGA West Campus in St. Louis
Design-Build Project Marked Largest Federal Investment in St. Louis History
McCarthy HITT, a joint venture, in partnership with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), has completed construction and recently celebrated the official opening of Next NGA West, NGA’s new state-of-the-art headquarters in St. Louis. NGA delivers world-class geospatial intelligence that provides a decisive advantage to policymakers, warfighters, intelligence professionals and first responders. The new $1.7 billion campus provides a modern, collaborative workspace designed to support NGA’s dynamic and evolving national security mission.
The decision to build a new NGA St. Louis headquarters was announced in June 2016 and marked the largest federal investment in the city’s history. Site logistics began in 2019, and major construction began in early 2020, with significant completion achieved in 2025.
The new development features a 700,000-square-foot office building, two multi-level parking garages, a secure visitor center, a delivery inspection facility, and multiple secured access points. The design-build project was designed and constructed to meet the highest standards for safety, security and sustainability, while also incorporating advanced technology and flexible workspaces.
Located on a 97-acre site in the St. Louis Place neighborhood at Jefferson and Cass avenues, the new NGA campus anchors a growing geospatial ecosystem from the heart of north St. Louis. The strategic location positions NGA to continue its strong partnership with civic institutions, academia and industry. The new campus replaces NGA’s current facility south of downtown St. Louis. The Kansas City District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), managed the design and construction of the facility.
“This project reflects a remarkable collaboration between federal agencies, the design-build team, and the local community,” said Josh Gaghen, vice president, St. Louis Business Unit Leader and former project manager for construction of the new campus. “The new NGA campus is more than just a facility, it’s a future-ready environment built to empower NGA’s mission and strengthen the region’s role in supporting national security.”
Led by St. Louis-based McCarthy Building Companies, Inc., the McCarthy HITT team was responsible for delivering a facility that supports the mission-critical needs of NGA. McCarthy HITT is a joint venture of the nation’s most capable design-build and operations/maintenance firms, including HITT Contracting, Falls Church, Va.; Black & Veatch Special Projects Corp., Overland Park, Kan.; Gensler, San Francisco, Calif.; and Akima, LLC, Herndon, Va. The Black & Veatch + Gensler Joint Venture served as the Architect-Engineer of Record for the project.
NGA has had a significant presence in St. Louis for seven decades and currently employs more than 3,000 local employees. The new campus is expected to deliver significant benefits, including environmental, cost, and policy advantages; expanded partnerships with universities and technology-driven companies; enhanced recruiting capabilities; and close proximity to NGA’s data facilities and both its current and future workforce.
The new campus is expected to deliver significant benefits, including environmental, cost, and policy advantages; expanded partnerships with universities and technology-driven companies; enhanced recruiting capabilities; and close proximity to NGA’s data facilities and both its current and future workforce.
The completion of N2W marks one of the largest federal investment projects in the St. Louis region, reinforcing both NGA’s long-standing presence in the community and the area’s growing role as a national hub for geospatial excellence.
About McCarthy HITT
McCarthy HITT is a joint venture bringing together the resources, expertise, and innovation of McCarthy Building Companies, HITT Contracting, Black & Veatch Special Projects Corp., Gensler, and Akima, LLC. With extensive experience in delivering complex, mission-critical projects, McCarthy HITT has partnered with federal, defense, and intelligence agencies to provide state-of-the-art facilities that support the nation’s most vital missions.
