Washington D.C. – November 19, 2025 – The Trump Administration, facing a lawsuit filed by preservationists including the law firm Cultural Heritage Partners and the DC Preservation League, agreed yesterday to delay action on the President’s plans to paint the exterior surface of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building (“EEOB”) until December 31. In the interim, Judge Dabney L. Friedrich of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia is expected to decide plaintiffs’ motion seeking a preliminary injunction halting alterations unless and until the President complies with federal historic preservation and environmental laws.
The lawsuit (Case 1:25-cv-03969), filed on Friday and supplemented by plaintiffs this week with over 800 pages of evidence, comes after the President drew international attention to his order to demolish the entire East Wing of the White House without a public process and after promising the public that it would not be harmed in the building of a large ballroom. The EEOB, which is separate from the White House grounds, is subject to even greater protection under the law, argue plaintiffs, and any action to alter the building would undermine important legal protections that apply to the Nation’s historic properties and cultural resources everywhere—not just in Washington, D.C.
The sworn declaration by the Acting Commissioner of the Public Buildings Service of the General Services Administration attests that the government will not authorize or engage in cleaning, power-washing, repointing, or painting of the EEOB’s exterior prior to December 31, 2025.
Greg Werkheiser, founding partner of Cultural Heritage Partners, stated, “The government’s temporary freeze of the president’s plans marks a significant step forward. The court battle lies ahead, and we are fully conscious of just how much is at stake for this wonderful building and for the rest of America’s treasures protected under law.”
Rebecca Miller, Executive Director of the DC Preservation League, an additional plaintiff, urged persistence, stating, “The threat of harm to this National Historic Landmark remains. We ask the public to continue to reach out to your representatives and request that they urge the administration to reconsider its plans.”
While the EEOB’s design aesthetic was controversial in the decades following its opening in 1888, it has come to be widely appreciated as among the most iconic French Second Empire style buildings in the nation, and it anchors America’s best-known historic district in the blocks surrounding the White House.
Plaintiffs have presented the court with evidence that painting the building’s polished granite and slate surfaces will trap moisture and deteriorate the building, and preparing polished granite for painting requires abrading its surface, inflicting harm that cannot be reversed. That threat of permanent harm triggers requirements for a public process under the National Historic Preservation Act and the National Environmental Policy Act, which plaintiffs allege the President is bypassing.
Cultural Heritage Partners has developed a webpage dedicated to the case on which it has posted court filings and evidence.
Noting the administration’s commitment to the status quo, Judge Friedrich has ordered an accelerated briefing schedule, with a hearing set for December 8 at 10AM , unless the Court decides the motion earlier.
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.