AIA Joins Coalition Filing Amicus Brief to Protect White House

WASHINGTON –May 28, 2026 – The American Institute of Architects (AIA) and a coalition of nonprofit organizations focused on architecture, historic preservation, and National Parks stewardship filed an amicus curiae brief on May 27, 2026, in National Trust for Historic Preservation in the United States v. National Park Service, et al., backing the National Trust's lawsuit against the proposed White House Ballroom, with oral argument set for June 5, 2026.

The amicus brief argues that the White House complex and President’s Park are federal property protected by longstanding constitutional, statutory, planning, and preservation rules, and that no president has inherent authority to destroy part of the White House complex or undertake a major new building project on those grounds without express approval from Congress. The filing further contends that private donor funding does not create legal authority for a project that Congress has not authorized and that the National Park Service’s own environmental review acknowledged the proposal would cause permanent adverse impacts to the White House grounds cultural landscape.

“Architects understand how a building connects to its landscape, its history, and the people it serves,” said 2026 AIA President, Illya Azaroff, FAIA. “When a proposal affects one of the nation’s most consequential public spaces, that expertise isn’t incidental—it’s essential. The White House and its grounds are among the most consequential public spaces in our democracy, and that distinction carries legal and civic obligations that cannot be set aside. AIA’s position is clear: the planning and stewardship of our most significant national places must be transparent, lawful, and worthy of the trust the American people have placed in them.”

The coalition filing the brief includes the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Association for Preservation Technology, 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, and the Society of Architectural Historians.

The underlying case was brought by the National Trust for Historic Preservation against the National Park Service and related federal defendants to challenge the demolition of the White House East Wing and the construction of the proposed ballroom. According to the amicus brief, the district court previously entered a preliminary injunction halting above-ground construction, and the appeal now asks the D.C. Circuit to determine whether that injunction should be restored while the case proceeds. The amici argue that the balance of equities and the public interest favor stopping further construction because the project would cause lasting harm to a nationally significant historic landscape before the courts fully resolve whether the project is lawful.

Learn more about AIA's latest efforts to preserve the White House.