President Donald J. Trump on Thursday declared the Oval Office a national monument. The proclamation directs the Secretary of the Interior to manage the space through the National Park Service, protecting its historic character, architectural integrity, and association with the presidency.
The designation means the workspace will receive specific recognition and protective management as a discrete historic structure. According to the proclamation, the interior secretary must require documentation, review, and consideration of alternatives before any action that would substantially alter or demolish the monument or its essential architectural elements.
The Oval Office National Monument includes the Oval Office itself, designated as Room 110, along with the Outer Oval Office and the Cabinet Room. Trump used the Antiquities Act to establish the boundaries, stating they represent the smallest area compatible with the proper care and management of the site.
The interior secretary is required to develop and implement a management plan in consultation with the White House Office of Administration and other executive departments. The plan must prioritize the preservation of the monument’s structural and architectural features. The secretary will also coordinate with the Committee for the Preservation of the White House and ensure proposed changes are evaluated for consistency with the site’s national significance.
The order does not restrict the president from redecorating, selecting furnishings, or making ordinary operational and security modifications, provided they do not substantially impair the architectural character. It also leaves intact existing statutory exemptions for the White House under the National Historic Preservation Act and preserves congressional authority over federal property.
The proclamation notes that the Oval Office has served as the principal working office of the president since its establishment in its present location and form under President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The distinctive oval design was first introduced in the West Wing during the administration of President William Howard Taft and refined in the early 1930s.
According to the document, the White House and its grounds are already administered as part of the President’s Park by the National Park Service and are recognized as a National Historic Landmark. The president stated that the Oval Office possesses an unmatched combination of location, design, setting, materials, and workmanship, serving as a symbol of the American presidency where decisions of national and international consequence are made.