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PRESERVATION LAW FIRM AND DC PRESERVATION LEAGUE SUE TO PAUSE TRUMP's LATEST RENOVATION PLANS
(MENAFN- EIN Presswire) EINPresswire/ -- Cultural Heritage Partners, PLLC (“CHP”), an international law firm dedicated to protecting historic places and cultural heritage, and the DC Preservation League, Washington, DC's citywide nonprofit advocate dedicated to the city's preservation and protection, today filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia seeking an emergency injunction to prevent any federal action to alter the Eisenhower Executive Office Building (“EEOB”) until the Administration complies with the procedural requirements of federal preservation and environmental law.
This week in a media interview President Trump revealed his plans to make the iconic building“beautiful” by painting every exterior surface white. The scheme would permanently alter one of the most architecturally significant and historic structures in the Nation's Capital. With a dramatic exterior crafted in polished granite, slate, and ornate cast-iron trim, the EEOB is a National Historic Landmark. The building houses 1,500 employees who work for the Executive Offices of the President and Vice President.
Fox News host Laura Ingraham warned the president that his plans would turn the EEOB into“a big white blob.” The President stated that he was already talking with contractors. The suit follows on the heels of the complete demolition of the White House's East Wing after the Administration skipped federally required reviews and assured the public that the East Wing would not be harmed to make way for a large ballroom.
The lawsuit argues that any action to alter the EEOB's historic exterior must be preceded by a“hard look” analysis under the National Environmental Policy Act and compliance with the National Historic Preservation Act, both of which require public participation, expert consultation, and transparent evaluation of potential impacts.
“Regardless of who occupies the White House, our nation's historic landmarks belong to the American people,” said Greg Werkheiser, founding partner of CHP.“Federal law requires a careful, public, and expert review before irreversible changes are made to a National Historic Landmark. We are filing this lawsuit to ensure that these long-standing protections are honored and that the public gets the transparency and due process the law guarantees.”
The complaint emphasizes that improper cleaning, repointing, or painting of the EEOB would constitute an irreversible alteration to the building's historic fabric and would affect the integrity of the broader President's Park and Lafayette Park. The lawsuit asks the court to temporarily halt any planning or work until the required legal processes are completed.
“The EEOB is an important landmark in the city of Washington, and significant efforts have been made to preserve its integrity, particularly during its most recent multi-phased rehabilitation in 2014. Proper consultation with regulatory agencies and preservation professionals needs to take place before any work occurs, to avoid adverse effects that could be devastating to this irreplaceable historic resource,” said DC Preservation League Executive Director Rebecca Miller.
Read the complaint in full. (Case 1:25-cv-03969). The firm will provide updates as the case develops at .
About the Eisenhower Executive Office Building: Opened in 1888, the French Second Empire style EEOB is one of the country's most significant examples of 19th-century federal architecture. Its dark polished granite façade, sloped mansard slate roof and domes, and ornate ironwork are central to its historical and visual identity.
About Cultural Heritage Partners: Cultural Heritage Partners, PLLC is a law firm devoted to the stewardship, protection, and thoughtful governance of cultural heritage as a human right. The firm represents tribes, governments, nonprofit organizations, and private entities in matters involving historic preservation, environmental review, museums, cultural policy, and community engagement.
About the DC Preservation League: The mission of the DC Preservation League is to preserve, protect, and enhance the historic and built environment of Washington, D.C.'s through advocacy and education.
CULTURAL HERITAGE PARTNERS, PLLC,
1717 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 1025,
Washington, D.C. 20006
This week in a media interview President Trump revealed his plans to make the iconic building“beautiful” by painting every exterior surface white. The scheme would permanently alter one of the most architecturally significant and historic structures in the Nation's Capital. With a dramatic exterior crafted in polished granite, slate, and ornate cast-iron trim, the EEOB is a National Historic Landmark. The building houses 1,500 employees who work for the Executive Offices of the President and Vice President.
Fox News host Laura Ingraham warned the president that his plans would turn the EEOB into“a big white blob.” The President stated that he was already talking with contractors. The suit follows on the heels of the complete demolition of the White House's East Wing after the Administration skipped federally required reviews and assured the public that the East Wing would not be harmed to make way for a large ballroom.
The lawsuit argues that any action to alter the EEOB's historic exterior must be preceded by a“hard look” analysis under the National Environmental Policy Act and compliance with the National Historic Preservation Act, both of which require public participation, expert consultation, and transparent evaluation of potential impacts.
“Regardless of who occupies the White House, our nation's historic landmarks belong to the American people,” said Greg Werkheiser, founding partner of CHP.“Federal law requires a careful, public, and expert review before irreversible changes are made to a National Historic Landmark. We are filing this lawsuit to ensure that these long-standing protections are honored and that the public gets the transparency and due process the law guarantees.”
The complaint emphasizes that improper cleaning, repointing, or painting of the EEOB would constitute an irreversible alteration to the building's historic fabric and would affect the integrity of the broader President's Park and Lafayette Park. The lawsuit asks the court to temporarily halt any planning or work until the required legal processes are completed.
“The EEOB is an important landmark in the city of Washington, and significant efforts have been made to preserve its integrity, particularly during its most recent multi-phased rehabilitation in 2014. Proper consultation with regulatory agencies and preservation professionals needs to take place before any work occurs, to avoid adverse effects that could be devastating to this irreplaceable historic resource,” said DC Preservation League Executive Director Rebecca Miller.
Read the complaint in full. (Case 1:25-cv-03969). The firm will provide updates as the case develops at .
About the Eisenhower Executive Office Building: Opened in 1888, the French Second Empire style EEOB is one of the country's most significant examples of 19th-century federal architecture. Its dark polished granite façade, sloped mansard slate roof and domes, and ornate ironwork are central to its historical and visual identity.
About Cultural Heritage Partners: Cultural Heritage Partners, PLLC is a law firm devoted to the stewardship, protection, and thoughtful governance of cultural heritage as a human right. The firm represents tribes, governments, nonprofit organizations, and private entities in matters involving historic preservation, environmental review, museums, cultural policy, and community engagement.
About the DC Preservation League: The mission of the DC Preservation League is to preserve, protect, and enhance the historic and built environment of Washington, D.C.'s through advocacy and education.
CULTURAL HERITAGE PARTNERS, PLLC,
1717 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 1025,
Washington, D.C. 20006
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