Trump Designates the Oval Office a National Monument
President Trump signed a proclamation making the Oval Office a national monument. Here is what the order sets out.
Key points
- The Oval Office becomes the "Oval Office National Monument" by presidential proclamation.
- The monument covers the Oval Office (Room 110), the Outer Oval Office (Rooms 106 and 108) and the Cabinet Room (Room 105).
- The Department of the Interior, through the National Park Service, will manage the monument.
- The proclamation relies on the Antiquities Act (section 320301 of title 54, U.S. Code).
U.S. President Donald J. Trump signed a proclamation declaring the Oval Office a national monument. The move rests on section 320301 of title 54 of the U.S. Code, known as the Antiquities Act, which allows the president to designate historic structures on federal land.
According to the document, the Oval Office, used as the president's main workspace since the administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt, has exceptional historic and architectural value. The proclamation also highlights its oval design, first introduced in the West Wing under William Howard Taft.
The monument will include the Oval Office (Room 110), the Outer Oval Office (Rooms 106 and 108) and the Cabinet Room (Room 105). According to the proclamation, its boundaries are the smallest area compatible with the proper care and management of the historic objects to be protected.
The Secretary of the Interior, through the National Park Service, will manage the monument. The text says a management plan must be developed that prioritizes preserving its structural and architectural features.