Preservationists Sue Trump To Stop His Latest Redecorating Project
(Francis Chung/POLITICO via AP Images)
President Donald Trump’s latest building redecoration project has prompted preservationists to take legal action, according to The Washington Post.
Trump mused this week to Fox News Host Laura Ingraham about his plan to repaint the Eisenhower Executive Office Building completely white.
“So, you know it was always considered an ugly building,” Trump said. “But it’s actually one of the most beautiful buildings ever built.”
Trump produced a mock-up of the building saying, “Look at that. How beautiful that is with a coat of paint.”
Ingraham, who once worked in that very building as a member of the Reagan administration, pushed back, asking, “But you don’t worry that it’s like a big white blob?”
“No, no. No, no. What it does is it brings out all the details,” Trump said.
In light of Trump’s paving over the famed Rose Garden and tearing down the East Wing of the White House, a law firm focused on historic preservation took immediate action and sued to stop him.
On Friday, the DC Preservation League and Cultural Heritage Partners petitioned a federal court to issue an emergency injunction prohibiting Trump from touching the 137-year-old building unless he completes the proper reviews.
“The Eisenhower Executive Office Building is one of our nation’s most significant architectural landmarks,” Greg Werkheiser with the law firm told The Post in a statement. “Any plan to alter that … like the President revealed this week, especially an irreversible action like painting it all white, must be preceded by a transparent public process that includes expert consultation and a full hard look at potential harms.”
The EEOB “is a preeminent example of French Second Empire architecture and a National Historic Landmark with a facade of polished granite, slate, and ornate cast-iron trim, built between 1871 and 1888 as the home of the State, War and Navy departments,” the article said. “The building now serves as office space for more than 1,500 employees working for the president, vice president, the Treasury Department and Defense Department.”
