ST. LOUIS — National, state and local leaders celebrated the official 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 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 here 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 were in attendance,

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