The stunning, rapid demolition of the East Wing of the White House does not sound the death knell of the United States of America, despite the breathless pronouncements of some observers. But it is a bellwether for the exhaustion of liberal protest politics, as the interest groups many had hoped would fight Donald Trump’s agenda are instead cowering, too afraid of Trump-aligned billionaires to mount a genuine opposition.
Most of the East Wing now lies in a landfill, Trump is rejoicing in his edifice complex, and a host of preservation advocates are watching from the sidelines, hiding behind equivocal, last-minute press releases and “strongly worded” letters.
Trump’s audacious ballroom plan has thwarted any meaningful expert review that would have slowed down the dream of the would-be authoritarian grandee. The National Historic Preservation Act, enacted in 1966, specifically exempts the headquarters for the three branches of government — the White House, the Supreme Court Building, and the Capitol — from preservation review by the National Park Service under Section 107. Deference to executive power is embedded in the first comprehensive federal historic preservation law.
Nonetheless, recent presidents have often submitted White House changes to review by the National Capital Planning Commission and the US Commission on Fine Arts — although each would only have advisory review power. But Trump evidently does not even want to pretend to honor expert opinion.
Some historic preservationists have pointed to Executive Order 11593 (1971) as a boundary, as it directs the president to “provide leadership in preserving the historic and cultural environment of the nation.” If this boundary were really fixed, then they may want to review the cuts to National Park Service site and preservation staffing since Trump took office, as well as previous presidents’ campaigns to demolish historic public housing buildings, as in the case of Bill Clinton, to leave…
Auteur: Michael R. Allen
