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Obama to open post-presidency office in World Wildlife Fund headquarters

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December 12, 2016 at 10:48 a.m. EST
President Obama will move on from the Oval Office on Jan. 20 but remain in Washington. (Jim Lo Scalzo/European Pressphoto Agency)

President Obama has been determining what he’ll work on once he leaves the White House and now he has a place to do it.

Obama has agreed to lease office space in the headquarters building of the World Wildlife Fund, at 1250 24th St. NW in the West End, according to two people familiar with the agreement. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because the deal has not been announced publicly.

WWF, a nonprofit organization focused on environmental conservation, owns the building and leases excess space to other organizations.

“As a former president, President Obama will have office space in Washington, D.C., when he leaves office,” said Amy Brundage, an Obama spokeswoman. She declined to confirm or identify the office’s location.

WWF did not return a request seeking comment.

While much of Obama’s post-White House focus will be based in Chicago, where he is designing his presidential library and will be building out a center that will promote leadership and other public priorities, he will also engage in other activities. One of them will entail supporting the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, which will pursue redistricting efforts to boost Democratic candidates across the country.

[Obama’s post-presidency political focus: Redistricting]

Maybe nothing beats the convenience of living and working in the White House, but Obama will not have a long commute. The office is about a mile from the Kalorama neighborhood in Northwest D.C. where he and his family have decided to live when he leaves office while his younger daughter Sasha finishes high school.

Few former presidents have undertaken political activities so soon after leaving office. However, living in Kalorama, a tony neighborhood northwest of Dupont Circle, has been far more popular; five other presidents have done it, among them Warren G. Harding and William H. Taft.

Social editor Ryan Carey-Mahoney takes a tour through the Kalorama neighborhood in D.C. where the Obama family is expected move. (Video: The Washington Post)

Obama is familiar with the work of his future landlord. The White House appointed WWF president and chief executive Carter Roberts to serve on the president’s Advisory Council on Wildlife Trafficking, an effort aimed at preventing the slaughter of elephants for ivory, in 2013. The group has also praised the Obama administration’s efforts to battle climate change.

Obama will be working in one of the greenest buildings in the nation’s capital as the 251,707-square-foot WWF headquarters has been given the highest sustainability rating from the U.S. Green Building Council. The property features solar panels, recycled building materials, reserved parking for hybrid or electric cars, and one of the largest green roofs in the city.

Juliet Eilperin contributed to this report.

Follow Jonathan O’Connell on Twitter: @oconnellpostbiz