National Trust for Historic Preservation creates defense fund in light of "urgent threats"

Washington DC nonprofit The National Trust for Historic Preservation, which sued the government last year over the White House ballroom extension, has announced a $10 million fundraising campaign for legal defence in support of US landmark preservation. National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP) announced the creation of the Historic Preservation Defense Fund today during the 2026 National Preservation Summit. It is aimed at protecting "the nation's historic places and the laws that safeguard them against urgent threats emanating from Washington", according to NTHP. "Through the Historic Preservation Defense Fund, the National Trust recognizes the magnitude of the crisis facing us today. And we stand ready to protect what's at stake," said NTHP president Brent Leggs. "It will provide resources for legal defense, public advocacy, and community action when historic places and the laws that protect them are under threat." The National Trust for Historic Preservation has announced the $10 million defence fund for protecting historic US properties NTHP has been involved in lawsuits over the government's architectural interventions in DC, including a suit to block changes at the White House, which resulted in a ban that was recently lifted. It said the decision to launch the fund stems from a change in the federal government's approach to preservation. "Once, we looked to the federal government as a foundational partner in the preservation of the American story," said Leggs. "We had a shared understanding, even if from different sides of the aisle or cultural contexts, that saving our historical record mattered." "But as the government divests from this work, it is up to us to take up this charge in earnest." Trump has denounced the NTHP as "bad for our country". On its website, NTHP named The White House East Wing and the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts as evidence of federal preservation safeguards being "in jeopardy". The site of the now-demolished East Wing is currently a construction zone to make way for president Donald Trump's in-progress ballroom extension, and the Kennedy Center recently shut down due to a battle over Trump's plans to rename and renovate it It also cited the government's proposed Triumphal Arch as an "intrusion" on historic sightlines in Washington DC. Leggs spoke to the federal government's attempts to rewrite Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, which requires federal agencies to consider the effects their projects have on historic US properties. Currently, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) is seeking to weaken Section 106 regulations, according to NPR. Leggs said if implemented, the new rules could "dramatically diminish" current legal protections around projects such as the Reflecting Pool and the Smithsonian, both of which have also faced changes under Trump. "The American public is demanding change and is impatient to see accountability from Congress, the Courts, and the Administration to ensure that no one can violate or weaponize policy to endanger these places," he said. "It is not an exaggeration to say that this moment is existential." The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a privately funded nonprofit founded in 1949 and chartered by US Congress to uphold standards in preservation. Architectural historian Brent Leggs was appointed as NTHP president in June and is the first African American CEO to lead the NTHP. The photography is by Framalicious via Shutterstock Subscribe to our newsletters Your email address New! 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