Cultural Heritage Partners

Cultural Heritage Partners Cultural Heritage Partners (CHP) is a private law firm with a public mission: to leverage humanity’s past to create a better future.

CHP takes on matters that advance the principle of access to cultural heritage as a human right.

Beautiful piece from Philip Kennicott on what's at stake in the Ballroom case and the larger fight for historic preserva...
09/02/2026

Beautiful piece from Philip Kennicott on what's at stake in the Ballroom case and the larger fight for historic preservation: "The preservation of institutions requires personal and emotional investment in those institutions, and we make the buildings that house them beautiful to ensure and perpetuate that emotional investment. The loss of beauty felt by Greenwood, or by anyone visiting Washington, is not trivial, and in the aggregate it is critical.

But the president says our feelings and our investment in historic buildings and beautiful places are of no concern, so long as he wants to build something. And the court seems to affirm that beauty and pleasure in the man-made world are none of its concern, either, despite a law that expressly makes it a matter of vital legal interest. We are all, apparently, just out walking the dog, while our world is pillaged, demolished and ground beneath the wheel."

Chief Justice John Roberts cited Winston Churchill in his dissent, addressing a debate about the role of beauty in public life and architecture.

Thank you to The Rachel Maddow Show for shining a light on our growing coalition's work to save Section 106!
09/01/2026

Thank you to The Rachel Maddow Show for shining a light on our growing coalition's work to save Section 106!

Rachel Maddow explains how a secret bomb shelter installed under th...

Big moment for our new coalition: The Rachel Maddow Show gave national airtime last night to the fight to defend and str...
09/01/2026

Big moment for our new coalition: The Rachel Maddow Show gave national airtime last night to the fight to defend and strengthen Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. Our founding partner Greg Werkheiser joined Rachel to break down all of the ways the Trump administration is threatening our historic places, and how we are organizing to fight back. We are grateful to Rachel for shining a light on our open letter to Congress and the nationwide, grassroots push to save Section 106. Watch the segment here:

Rachel Maddow explains how a secret bomb shelter installed under the White House during the Obama administration undercuts Donald Trump's legal claim that he needs his ballroom constructed because it will include a necessary bomb shelter for the White House. Rachel is joined by Greg Werkheiser, co-f...

BREAKING NEWS: "A divided Supreme Court on Monday allowed the White House to continue construction on a $400 million bal...
08/31/2026

BREAKING NEWS: "A divided Supreme Court on Monday allowed the White House to continue construction on a $400 million ballroom project as lawsuits play out, a win for President Donald Trump as he flexes unprecedented executive power and remakes the capital in his image.... “Today’s decision is no victory for the separation of powers.” Roberts wrote. The court’s three liberal-leaning justices agreed."

The Supreme Court is allowing the White House to continue construction on President Donald Trump’s $400 million White House ballroom project while his administration appeals a judge’s order halting the work.

UPDATE: Our open letter to Congress now has 700+ signatures representing more than 7 million Americans! We're still addi...
08/31/2026

UPDATE: Our open letter to Congress now has 700+ signatures representing more than 7 million Americans! We're still adding Tribes, nonprofit organizations, and businesses, all backing a straightforward message: Section 106 works. Congress should reject proposals that weaken it and instead focus on making it even more effective. Check out the latest list and reach out to folks you know who should join-- link to Google form to add signers is in the comments!

Cultural Heritage Partners is a private law firm committed to the principle that cultural heritage is a human right.

Thank you for defending Section 106, Tina! "Tina Hart, president of the Utah Professional Archaeological Council, or UPA...
08/30/2026

Thank you for defending Section 106, Tina! "Tina Hart, president of the Utah Professional Archaeological Council, or UPAC, has some serious concerns about the proposed changes.

"It's important because federal agencies don't have all the answers all by themselves," Hart explained. "Tribal members, tribal historic preservation officers, they have special knowledge about places that are culturally important to tribes that archeologists may not know about."

Utah archaeologists are concerned that some proposed changes to section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act could threaten historic sites in an effort to speed up the permitting process.

An unprecedented coalition of more than 600 Tribal Nations, preservation and conservation organizations, professional as...
08/27/2026

An unprecedented coalition of more than 600 Tribal Nations, preservation and conservation organizations, professional associations, businesses, museums, historical societies, and state and local organizations today delivered an open letter and brief to every member of Congress with a blunt message:

Section 106 works. Congress should protect it, strengthen it, and build on 60 years of success.

The coalition’s members and citizens number more than 5 million Americans living, working, and voting in every congressional district in the country. Some signatories themselves represent hundreds of additional organizations and Tribal Nations.

Read the Washington Post's coverage: https://wapo.st/4gmjcWb

Link to letter and full list of signatories in the comments!

A coalition of preservation groups says the regulatory, legislative and executive efforts pose the greatest threat in 60 years to a law requiring federal agencies to avoid harm to historic sites.

Julia Jacobs for the NYT: Greg Werkheiser, a lawyer representing the preservation and architecture groups, said in a sta...
08/26/2026

Julia Jacobs for the NYT: Greg Werkheiser, a lawyer representing the preservation and architecture groups, said in a statement on Tuesday that after the demolition of the East Wing, “no one concerned about America’s historic landmarks can afford to treat this as idle speculation.”

In a court filing about honoring President Trump on the facade, the administration said that without a proper renovation the building might need to be “taken down.”

NBC News: The Trump administration is, for the first time, threatening the demolition of the Kennedy Center if the arts ...
08/26/2026

NBC News: The Trump administration is, for the first time, threatening the demolition of the Kennedy Center if the arts institution isn’t allowed to follow its plans for the site, including adding President Donald Trump’s name to the front of the building.

“Without those efforts, the Center will deteriorate further into an unsafe, decrepit structure that will be required to be taken down, with a determination to follow on what to build on the site, such as a large outdoor amphitheater overlooking the Potomac River that has been proposed, by some, for many years,” Justice Department attorney Brantley T. Mayers wrote in a court filing on Monday.

The DOJ attorneys called the Kennedy Center “structurally unsound, fundamentally unsafe, and embarrassing to the Nation’s Capital.”

🏛️ Interior's new order claims it will speed up federal historic preservation reviews. But it will likely do the opposit...
08/25/2026

🏛️ Interior's new order claims it will speed up federal historic preservation reviews. But it will likely do the opposite.

On August 20, Secretary Burgum signed Secretarial Order 3452, directing Interior to push Section 106 consultations toward faster resolution — enforcing a 30-day response deadline on state and tribal preservation officers, treating 180 days as an outer limit for resolving effects, and formally discouraging offsite compensatory mitigation.

Here's the catch: offsite mitigation is often the very tool that keeps complex projects on schedule. It lets agencies resolve conflicts with Tribal Nations and communities — funding regional research, education programs, or comparable preservation work — while allowing construction to proceed. Taking that option away removes an important tool for keeping projects on schedule and on budget.

Only a small share of federal undertakings raise Section 106 concerns to begin with, and most resolve quickly. This Order targets the harder, more contentious cases — but by narrowing the toolkit for resolving them, it may leave developers facing higher costs, longer timelines, and fewer paths to workable agreements.

Read our full analysis: https://culturalheritagepartners.com/interiors-new-secretarial-order-will-slow-down-development/

Cultural Heritage Partners is a private law firm committed to the principle that cultural heritage is a human right.

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