PUBLIC NEWS SERVICE - The swift demolition of the White House East Wing has preservation experts alarmed about the bypassing of longstanding federal review processes.
The White House and President's Park are designated National Historic Landmarks, requiring any alterations to undergo review by multiple agencies.
Cleary Larkin – Ph.D, assistant professor and director of the Historic Preservation Program at the University of Florida – said the project ignored legal safeguards that have protected America's historic treasures since the 1960s.
"There's a blatant ignoring of the review process," said Larkin. "The 1966 National Historic Preservation Act. Every previous project to the White House since the 1960s has undergone this review process."
The National Historic Preservation Act created what's known as Section 106 review, requiring federal agencies to consider effects on historic properties.
The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, National Capital Planning Commission and Commission of Fine Arts typically review White House projects, but these bodies are inactive during the government shutdown.
Larkin pointed to specific preservation standards that the demolition appears to violate, particularly those protecting historic materials and spatial relationships. She said these guidelines have been spelled out.
"New additions, exterior alterations, or related new construction will not destroy historic materials, features, and spatial relationships that characterize the property," said Larkin. "The new work will be differentiated from the old and will be compatible with the historic materials, features, size, scale, and proportion, and massing to protect the integrity of the property and the environment."
The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee has scheduled a hearing this week to examine Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, raising concerns among preservation advocates that the administration may seek to weaken the law.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation has called for pausing demolition until proper review can occur.
Trimmel Gomes wrote this article.