Federal Judge Authorizes Exterior Paint Testing for Historic Eisenhower Building Restoration

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss issued an order on Tuesday denying an emergency motion for a preliminary injunction filed by architectural preservationist organizations, permitting limited non-destructive paint adhesion testing on the granite façade of the historic Eisenhower Executive Office Building (EEOB).

Historic Preservation Law and National Historic Landmark Safeguards

The lawsuit, brought by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the D.C. Preservation League, sought to halt executive plans to apply an off-white mineral coating to the French Second Empire-style granite landmark, arguing that the General Services Administration (GSA) failed to complete mandatory Section 106 historical impact reviews under the National Historic Preservation Act.

Judge Moss determined that allowing contractors to conduct small, two-foot by two-foot sample patch tests on courtyard stone surfaces does not inflict irreparable harm on the landmark structure, while ordering GSA to refrain from any permanent building-wide painting pending a full hearing on the merits.

Architectural Significance and Public Controversy

The Eisenhower Building, constructed between 1871 and 1888, originally housed the State, War, and Navy departments and is designated a National Historic Landmark renowned for its intricate slate mansard roofs and unpainted Virginia and Maine granite columns.

Architectural historians and federal lawmakers argued that altering the building's raw stone exterior would permanently compromise one of the nation's premier 19th-century civic masterpieces.

Scheduling for Full Administrative Review

The court ordered the General Services Administration to submit its complete administrative record and proposed Section 106 consultation timeline by September 25, 2026.