GSA - Opelia Opelinia opens doors to GSA customer needs by preserving our heritage

Opelia Opelinia opens doors to GSA customer needs by preserving our heritage

Every day that Opelia Opelinia goes to work at GSA, she steps back in history. She has the envious job of managing two historic buildings in San Francisco: the U.S. Custom House and the U.S. Appraisers Building.

Opelia Opelinia relaxes atop the U.S. Appraiser's Building with the stunning San Francisco skyline behind her.

Opelinia began her career with GSA as a receptionist in the Sansome Field Office and worked her way up to where she now serves as the assistant property manager for the two historic buildings.
“I really love it. As a matter of fact, this is exactly where I had wanted to be,” she said.
The history of the Custom House dates to the early years of the 20th century. A design competition for the U.S. Custom House was launched in 1905, and excavation was completed before the earthquake and fire of April 18-21, 1906. San Francisco's business and financial districts were almost completely destroyed by the fire, with the exception of a few buildings, including the Appraisers Building where the Custom records were stored.
Since Opelinia's arrival at GSA, she's noted a few changes in the agency and likes what she sees - especially with GSA taking the lead in constructing “green” buildings.
“They've made a lot of improvements and changes in the organization in how GSA meets the customer's needs - not just to meet the quality needs, but to be environmentally friendly. It kind of opens up the door too - as a good role model to other state and federal government departments, ” she said.

Last Reviewed 11/3/2008