National Preservation Partners Network

05/28/2026

NPPN Joins Coalition of Nonprofit Organizations to File Amicus Curiae Brief in White House Ballroom Case

On May 27, 2026, eleven national and local nonprofit organizations devoted to architecture, landscape, historic preservation, planning, and National Parks stewardship joined together in filing an amicus curiae (“friend of the court”) brief supporting the National Trust for Historic Preservation in its lawsuit over the proposed White House Ballroom. The litigation challenges the Trump Administration’s demolition of the White House East Wing and ongoing construction of a massive new ballroom structure on the historic White House grounds, a designated National Park.

A preliminary injunction granted to the National Trust by U.S. District Court Judge Richard Leon on March 31, 2026, has been stayed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit pending an appeal by the Trump Administration. A hearing before a panel of the Circuit Court is scheduled for Friday, June 5, 2026.

In the brief, the amicus organizations make a number of points, including the following:

- Each president is but a temporary steward of the White House, and no president has the inherent right to destroy any portion of the White House complex or undertake a huge construction project such as this without obtaining express approval from the Congress. No such authority has been granted in this case.

- The historical record shows that virtually every other major White House project over the years has been carried out with approval and engagement by Congress. The Administration’s attempt to evade or usurp this authority should not be allowed to succeed.

- Despite the government’s recent assertions, the case is not about national security. It is simply about whether the President has complied with the law in his longstanding quest to construct a massive ballroom structure at the White House.

- The fact that private donors are supposedly paying for the project does not give the President any special authority to carry it out.

- The White House and its surrounding cultural landscape constitute a National Historic Landmark of highest significance to the nation, as well as a designated National Park. Not only has the Administration failed to secure basic congressional approval for this project, but it has also ignored planning and preservation standards and principles specifically established to ensure that changes to the White House and its grounds respect its cultural and historic values.

- Given the significant issues brought in this case, the balance of equities, and the likelihood that the National Trust will ultimately prevail on the merits, the Court of Appeals should reinstate the preliminary injunction and halt further construction of the ballroom project.

The 11 organizations participating as amici curiae include the following:

The American Institute of Architects
The American Society of Landscape Architects
The Association for Preservation Technology International
The Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks
The Committee of 100 on the Federal City
The Cultural Landscape Foundation
The DC Preservation League
The National Mall Coalition
The National Preservation Partners Network
The Olmsted Network
The Society of Architectural Historians

Read the full brief here: https://shorturl.at/2odtl

05/26/2026

Tomorrow, May 27th at 1:00 p.m. Eastern, tune in to catch our panel of experts at the next in our Practical Preservation Webinar series: Preservation Awards Programs!

With:
- Andrea Goldwyn, Director, Public Policy, The New York Landmarks Conservancy
- Danielle Meunier, Preservation Programs Coordinator, The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation
- Julianne Patterson, Executive Director, Preservation Durham
- Nicole Possert, Executive Director, Restore Oregon

Preservation awards programs are a useful tool for raising funds, friends, awareness, or all three. Learn about a diverse variety of successful models and best practices. Walk away energized with innovative ideas and practical tips on how to make preservation awards program work for your organization.

This webinar is free for members and $20 for non-members.

Register: http://weblink.donorperfect.com/presawardswebinar

05/22/2026

Congratulations to Columbus Landmarks Foundation on the announcement of its new CEO and a warm National Preservation Partners Network welcome to Chris Hune!

We are excited to announce Chris Hune as the new CEO of Columbus Landmarks!

Chris brings decades of leadership experience, deep community involvement, and a passion for preservation as we prepare to celebrate the organization’s 50th anniversary.

Throughout her career, Chris has been a champion for community-building and civic engagement, serving in leadership roles across nonprofit, public, and private sectors - including leadership with Team Fishel, Homeport, and The German Village Society.

As Columbus Landmarks enters this exciting new chapter, we look forward to working alongside Chris to continue preserving the places, stories, and character that make Columbus unique.

Please join us in welcoming Chris Hune to Columbus Landmarks!

05/21/2026

Today's May Member Spotlight!
Preservation Chicago has big wins to celebrate!

🎉 The Century and Consumers Buildings have been granted Landmark Designation, the culmination of a nearly 20-year effort including hundreds of news articles, dozens of public hearings, a change.org petition with 24,000 signatures, and more to reorient the GSA away from demolition and a $52 million congressional earmark for demolition.

🎉 After being featured on the Chicago 7 Most Endangered list four times, the iconic Postmodern James R. Thompson Center is being adaptively reused as the Google Midwest Headquarters following a decade-long advocacy effort to save the building.

🎉 After an 11-year effort and 11th hour negotiations, thanks to strong public support the Chicago City Council approved Chicago landmark designation for the extraordinary St. Adalbert's Church.
..and many more!

05/20/2026

National Trust for Historic Preservation released its annual list of America's 11 Most Endangered Places today. In observance of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the selected sites reflect the principle that all people are created equal.

05/20/2026

Today's May Member Spotlight!
Last week, Historic Columbia in South Carolina celebrated the 50th anniversary of its annual preservation awards with a gala. With this year's 11 recipient projects and leaders, the organization has now issued more than 300 awards since 1976! Read about this year's awardees here: https://www.historiccolumbia.org/2026-preservation-awards

Historic Columbia also recently commissioned Meadors, Inc. out of Charleston, SC to produce an Historic Structures Report for the ca.-1896 Seibels House property in downtown Columbia. Its findings included a comprehensive investigation of the main building's evolution, including paint and mortar samples in addition to estimates for rehabilitation. This document will inform future decisions that Historic Columbia will make in the stewardship of the capital city's oldest remaining buildings.

05/19/2026

May Member Spotlight, Day 2:
Shout out to our friends at Historic Hawaii Foundation: HHF!

Last month, Historic Hawaii Foundation presented a two-day Wooden Window Preservation Workshop at the University of Hawaii Maui College. Nineteen participants walked away with new or deepened knowledge of historic preservation and an understanding of the components of double hung wooden windows and the process to properly assess and repair them, safekeeping their historic integrity. This hands-on training in Maui was a wonderful opportunity for experts in the field to share invaluable tips, best practices and problem solving related to wood window repair! Check it out!

05/18/2026

It's time for May Member Spotlights! This week we'll be celebrating preservation wins across the Network, starting with Flagstaff Townsite Historic Properties Community Land Trust, which promotes historic preservation and community investment with permanently affordable owner-occupied homes in Flagstaff, Arizona.

Flagstaff Townsite Historic Property Community Land Trust's educational arm, named "Treasure Flagstaff", organizes monthly "History Happy Hour" events at the local historic Hotel Weatherford. Recent happy hours have featured presentations on "Shades of Route 66," underdocumented stories of diverse people who contributed to Route 66 history and Northern Arizona's history of skirting prohibition, as well was a night of sharing historic tall tales. June's happy hour will take a deeper dive into 100 years of Route 66 in Arizona!

History Happy Hours are free and open to the public, and attendance continues to grow. The events are bringing people back into a historic local gem and helping attendees recognize that northern Arizona history is worth preserving!
https://townsiteclt.org/2026/03/history-happy-hour-7-march-202-through-june-2026/

05/15/2026

Our May newsletter is out! Check it out for updates on our new look, THIS IS HISTORIC, Preservation Month happenings, job board updates, and upcoming webinars!

One correction from the newsletter: The Preservation for All Roundtable webinar "Advancing LGBTQ+ Preservation Efforts and Historic Places" will be taking place on *June 24th*. The Practical Preservation webinar on Preservation Awards Programs is coming up on May 27th as listed!

And a remind that TODAY is the LAST DAY for members to complete the Member Survey for a chance to win a free registration to our gathering in Washington, DC in September (link in comments)!

The National Preservation Partners Network has evolved quite a bit since our early days, and it was time for our digital and print presence to reflect those changes. Over the winter, a task force worked with Robin Easter Design to create a refreshed brand identity, and we couldn't be more thrilled w...

05/01/2026

It’s officially Preservation Month, and we are still basking in all the great moments shared at our Spring Retreat and National HPRP Summit in Philadelphia last week with partners from LA (Los Angeles) to LA (Louisiana), Illinois to Asheville, and everywhere in between. Our partners in preservation are simply the best and we’re going to spend the rest of the month celebrating them! If you’re not a member of the National Preservation Partners Network yet… what better time to join?

P.S. If you were with us in Philly, don’t forget to share and tag us in your photos!