BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

The Oval Office stands as one of the most recognizable and historically significant spaces in the United States.  Since its establishment in its present location and form during the administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, it has served as the principal working office of the President of the United States.  Decisions of profound national and international consequence have been made within its walls.  It has hosted heads of state, shaped the daily conduct of the executive branch, and become a symbol of the American Presidency itself.

The room’s distinctive oval design, first introduced in the West Wing under President William Howard Taft and refined in the early 1930s, reflects both practical and ceremonial purposes.  Its architecture, finishes of lasting character, and continuous association with the Presidency give the Oval Office exceptional and unique value in illustrating the history of the United States.  The Oval Office possesses an unmatched and unique combination of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, and an association with historical events that are embedded in our national consciousness. 

The White House and its grounds are Federal property administered as part of the President’s Park by the National Park Service and are already recognized as a National Historic Landmark.  Nonetheless, the Oval Office merits specific recognition and protective management as a discrete historic structure of national significance.

WHEREAS, section 320301 of title 54, United States Code (the “Antiquities Act”), authorizes the President, in the President’s discretion, to declare by public proclamation historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, and other objects of historic or scientific interest that are situated upon the lands owned or controlled by the Federal Government to be national monuments, and to reserve as a part thereof parcels of land, the limits of which shall be confined to the smallest area compatible with the proper care and management of the objects to be protected;

WHEREAS, it is in the public interest to preserve the Oval Office as a national monument; and

WHEREAS, I find that the boundaries of the Oval Office represent the smallest area compatible with the proper care and management of the objects of historic and scientific interest identified above;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, by the authority vested in me by section 320301 of title 54, United States Code, hereby proclaim the Oval Office as the Oval Office National Monument (monument).

The monument shall consist of the Oval Office itself (Room 110) together with the Outer Oval Office (Rooms 106 and 108) and the Cabinet Room (Room 105).  The boundaries of the monument are the smallest area compatible with the proper care and management of the objects of historic interest to be protected.

The Secretary of the Interior (Secretary), through the National Park Service, shall manage the monument in a manner that protects its historic character, architectural integrity, and association with the Presidency.  The Secretary shall:

(1)  develop and implement a management plan, in consultation with the White House Office of Administration and other relevant executive departments, agencies, and offices, that prioritizes the preservation of the monument’s structural and significant architectural features;

(2)  require documentation, review, and consideration of alternatives before any action that would substantially alter or demolish the monument or its essential architectural elements;

(3)  ensure that any proposed changes affecting the monument’s historic character are evaluated for consistency with its national significance; and

(4)  coordinate with the Committee for the Preservation of the White House and other appropriate advisory bodies.

The Secretary is directed to take all necessary steps to implement this proclamation.

Nothing in this proclamation shall be construed to restrict the President’s authority to redecorate the monument, select furnishings, or make ordinary operational and security modifications that do not substantially impair the monument’s historic structure or architectural character.

Nothing in this proclamation alters existing statutory exemptions applicable to the White House under the National Historic Preservation Act or diminishes the Congress’s authority over Federal property.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fifth day of November, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-six, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fifty-first.

                             DONALD J. TRUMP

The post ESTABLISHMENT OF THE OVAL OFFICE NATIONAL MONUMENT appeared first on The White House.

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