Overview
- The National Capital Planning Commission, which scheduled a Thursday hearing, is considering a White House plan to coat the 19th-century granite facade of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in white.
- An NCPC staff report backs cleaning the exterior and asks the White House to identify the exact coating, show successful uses on granite elsewhere, and outline alternatives such as lighting.
- After an April briefing, the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts told officials to return with paint testing results and more technical data.
- Preservationists and many public commenters argue granite should not be painted and warn a coating could trap moisture and speed stone decay, and opponents have also filed a lawsuit that is moving through federal court.
- The Eisenhower building is a National Historic Landmark beside the West Wing that houses vice presidential ceremonial rooms and national security offices.