Protecting the EEOB

Cultural Heritage Partners, PLLC et. al. v. Trump et. al.

What’s This Case About?

On Wednesday, November 12th,  President Donald J. Trump, in a media interview, revealed his plans to “beautify” the Eisenhower Executive Office Building (EEOB) by painting its 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 and a defining element of the White House complex. The building houses 1,500 employees who work for the Executive Offices of the President and Vice President.

Forty-eight hours after the President’s reveal of his plan, our law firm, its founders Greg and Marion Werkheiser, and the DC Preservation League, filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia seeking emergency consideration of the question of whether the President’s violate federal preservation and environmental laws.

What’s The Latest?

On January 29, 2026, the Department of Justice (DOJ ) filed a motion to dismiss that included an MOU between the Office of Administration (OA) and the General Services Administration (GSA) signed that same day, purporting to delegate all authority to carry out the project to have the EEOB “power washed/cleaned, repointed, and painted”  to the OA, a component of the Executive Office of the President, effective as soon as the President wants to proceed. 

The court held a hearing on February 6, 2026, and agreed that this purported delegation changed the scope of Plaintiffs claims and affirmed Plaintiffs’ ability to file an amended complaint to address the new circumstances. Plaintiffs filed their amended complaint on February 19, 2026. 

The court has ordered a new briefing schedule which requires additional pleadings and motions to be filed throughout March.