The ALPA office at 1625 Massachusetts Avenue NW, in Washington, D.C. (pictured left), served as the Association’s headquarters from August 1972 to December 2020. Pictured on the right is a rendering of the entry at 304 Pennsylvania Avenue SE, Washington, D.C., set to open early next year.
On December 17, ALPA will close its office at 1625 Massachusetts Avenue NW, in Washington, D.C. Centrally located near industry trade organizations and other labor unions, the glass-and-marble, eight-story building is where ALPA established its reputation as the largest nongovernmental aviation safety organization in the world.
Recognizing that moving to Washington, D.C., would enable ALPA to more effectively “conduct business at the various governmental, regulatory, and legislative agencies,” the Board of Directors (BOD) first approved the “home office” relocation in November 1966 and reaffirmed the move at a special meeting two years later.
ALPA broke ground on the Massachusetts Avenue site on November 5, 1970, and opened its new office on August 21, 1972. Over the next 48 years, many important meetings and special events took place at the D.C. office and numerous prominent political leaders, government officials, and industry representatives visited there.
Although the Massachusetts Avenue office is closing, ALPA’s powerful presence will still be felt in Washington, D.C. In early 2021, the Association will open an exciting new space on Capitol Hill at 304 Pennsylvania Avenue SE. Steps away from Congress, the townhouse office is an ideal location for ALPA’s wide-ranging government affairs activities, ensuring the union’s influential role in commercial aviation for years to come.
ALPA’s new Pennsylvania Avenue location honors the 1966 BOD’s intent and reinvents how we connect with decision-makers as we advance our pilot-partisan agenda. Additional information and photos of the finished space will be featured in the January-February 2021 issue of Air Line Pilot.