Transcripts For CSPAN3 The Presidency Preserving Presidentia

Welcome to our annual symposium, the presidency and Historic Preservation is the topic for this year. These are hosted by the White House Historical association, and this year we have the honor of having our partners, the National Trust for Historic Preservation. My name is stewart mclaurin, and i think i know most of you here in this room. And i have the privilege and honor of serving as the president of the White House Historical association. Well, its been quite a while since we have had the opportunity to convene here on our campus. Everyone has been largely virtual in this occasion, has been so the last two years. But its a real honor to be able to be under this roof and in the fellowship of people caring about the same subject as you all do here today. Id like to begin by recognizing two members of our board of directors who are here. Tham kind of hickam is going to be here today. I dont see her yet. And john barrett is here today. And we have a large number of our National Council on white house history who are here today, and youll be meeting them during the interaction you have in these sessions, as well as the lunch. And they are a fantastic group of people, as well as our Board Members. And it is they who put wind in our cells and make our work possible. And we are so grateful for the support that we have from our National Council, from our board and from all of you. Id like to also thank two people who really were the backbone of all of this. Dr. Colleen sugar and dr. Matthew costello, who from start to now finish have made all of this possible. And im very grateful to have them as terrific colleagues. They are the leadership of our David M Rubenstein National Center for white house history, which is the scholarly Academic Center of our work, our education programs, our digital library, our historians, of course, and so much of the important work that is outward facing in pushing wonderful content like this out, not only to a roomful of people, but to people watching across the country. Id also like to thank more fully than just mentioning them as i did earlier, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, for collaborating with us to carter house, this extraordinary Historic Building that you entered through this morning is actually owned by the National Trust. And we are very honored, in fact, humbled and privileged to maintain this as a co steward with them of this amazing asset and property and we try to take very good care of it as if its our own. We dont treat it like an airbnb or anything. So we do take very good care of it and respect it for its history and for our Wonderful Partnership with you, Paul Edmondson and katherine malone, france youll be hearing from today are extraordinary leaders of that organization and and terrific colleagues of ours here at the white house, historical association. Well, our organizations actually have quite a bit in common, as you both know. It is our mission, our values, but also in our origins. Many of you will know, know of or at least recall or by reputation. Remember david finlay, who was the first director of the National Gallery of art here in washington. Quite a force. He was also the chairman of the commission on fine arts, and he served as the found and chair of the National Trust for Historic Preservation as well as the White House Historical association. And it was mr. Finlay, along with first Lady Jacqueline kennedy, who were instrumental in saving his historic Lafayette Park. And if you do not know that story, we could have a whole symposium on that topic alone. So i encourage you to delve in to that story. It is really an amazing feat, an accomplishment that we should all be grateful for. Had it not been for them, we would walk out, the carter house would not be there and this this park would be fronted by what we call the New Executive Office Building on the park. It would have been quite a different landscape here in president s park. So were very, very grateful for them. So were all gathered here today to talk about the topic of Historic Preservation and this symposium today will explore the intertwining story of the presidency of the white house itself and Historic Preservation. As many of you know, one of the most famous acts of Historic Preservation actually took place on august 24, 1849. And as news of the American Military defeat out in bladensburg, marilyn had reached the white house. First Lady Dolley Madison ordered that the Gilbert Stuart painting of George Washington to be saved upon reflection. And this was a very wise decision as the british later advanced on the city of washington entered the white house and set fire to that Historic Building. As you all know well, for decades after that incident, mrs. Madisons acts of preservation became legendary and actually a bit of law. But like anything else in history, it is not all that appears to the eye or to the ear. Mrs. Madison actually did order that the portrait be saved, but there was actually a group of people that were instrumental in making that happen. Looks like the group of people that are instrumental in making things happen at our Historic Sites today, names like paul jennings, jean pierre ceasar, thomas mcgrath, jacob barker and Robert Robert to piestewa worked to remove the painting from the wall, transport it out of harms way and only much later when jennings, who was actually a formerly enslaved man, detailed the event in his memoir. And it was only then that these events were fully detailed and that these other figures, these other lesser known names in american history, lesser known than dolly madison, received their due. Now, of course, mrs. Madison continued to call it the little narrative of picture rescue, in which she starred as the leading actress. Of course. Well, certainly she does deserve credit for her foresight, but it was these enslaved and free workers, along with two strangers who contributed to saving the very first portrait that was acquired for the white house. And i believe, melissa, that this still is today the only item in the white house collection that was in the white house when the adams moved in in november of 1800, is that correct . Which is melissa from the Curators Office of the white house, my resident expert on all things with the white house collection and that is quite amazing that you can still go into the white house today and theyre hanging on the east wall of the east room. Is this Gilbert Stuart of George Washington with that amazing story behind it. And thats the first work of art potential, lee, that the adams saw when they moved into the white house in november of 1800. Well, for the association, our efforts here to tell a more comprehensive and inclusive history begin at the white house and extend outward into the president s neighborhood here to Decatur House where we are today, in february of this year, we launched several educational elements related to this property architecture will renderings of historic slave quarters in a new 360 degree virtual tour and projected silhouettes of three individual people with individual important stories. Charlotte to play. James williams and nancy side facts. These individuals these real life living human being people with stories and families and names and histories actually lived and worked here at historic Decatur House. They were enslaved by the occupants. Now, were not talking about stephen. This was indicator. This came later to our knowledge that the carters were not a slave holders, but this came later in the history of the house. But it was a very critical part of the fabric and the story of the house that we are charged with, with telling here at the association. So we are grateful to our friends at the National Trust for supporting this project with a nice grant. And i hope you all have the opportunity to visit the slave quarters, which are just above the shop here on the north side of our campus. Theyll be open at the end of the day, or if you want to sneak away at some time at the beginning of the end of lunch, they will be open and well have staff there for you to to see that. But more broadly than the carter house, weve also invested over six years of research on the history of slavery in president s park. As you know, Lafayette Park was the work zone essentially for the james hoban, the a slave workers, the free workers, the european artisans that came to actually build the white house. And then the thanks to our historians and the research that they have done, we are delving into now the story of those who were enslaved, saved or high paid as slaves by nine of our earliest american president s and actually worked in the white house for those nine president s, nine president , its either own slaves and work for them in the white house or they hired slaves from slave owners to work in the white house. Thats a important and compelling story. Were also delving into the descendants of those people. My dream is to find a young lady in saint louis who had no idea that her great, great great grandfather there worked right out here in this park. Weve done some specific things. Many of you have walked by the park. And thanks to our dear friends at the National Park service represented here today by john stanwick, weve been able to put wayside markers at the north end of the park that tell the story of mrs. Kennedy saving the park and the Historic Preservation of this space of the history of protest in the park and the story of the enslaved people and others who built the park. Thousands of people walk across this plot of land every day without a clue as to what happened beneath their feet in history. And whats inspirational to me about this is these men, these enslaved people who toiled and sweated and bled to build the greatest symbol of American Freedom and democracy today. And that is the white house. They worked right out here in this beautiful park, and they never dreamed it was beyond their comprehension that 230 years later, we would be sitting in this room honoring their work and their legacy and telling their story. And thats our privilege, is the White House Historical association, on behalf of the American People to tell these stories, to remember these people. Its not all the daily madisons. Its not all the current former next president s of the United States. And first ladies. But its the people who work the melissa and the Curators Office, the johns in the park service, the others who work in that house, and all levels to to save it, protect it, preserve it, to honor it, and to tell the stories with us of its rich and abundant history. So thats what were about here in our mission. Thats what were here about today with this symposium and im looking forward to the panels as much as i hope you are. And i want to thank you for joining us today. And it is now my privilege to introduce to the man that i have referenced two or three times, the distinguished leader of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and a Paul Edmondson. Paul. Thank you, stuart. Appreciate that. On behalf of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, id also like to thank you all for being here and being here in person. Its just so wonderful to see so many people brave the current environment that were into to show up for these for this particular symposium. And i also want to thank stuart and the carter house for really expressing our shared commitment to the stewardship of this particular place and its environment, that the the wonderful surroundings that we have that are just, as stuart described, its just steeped with history and the interpretation of this place. And well talk about that further and youll hear much more about that. I also want to thank those of you in the audience who are working with these wonderful places with Historic Places all across the country, but particularly those who those places that relate to the presidency, which are obviously key in our our our our combined history. Stuart talked about lafayette square. It certainly would look a lot different today without the advocacy and the political skills of our Jackie Kennedy and as stuart noted, our shared founder, david finlay, who really was the quiet force behind Historic Preservation in so many different ways. Together, theyve worked as stuart indicated, to defeat a plan that was actually approved by congress. It was it was first proposed in the Eisenhower Administration, i believe, approved by congress. It looked like it was going to go through they used their influence. Jackie, obviously had tremendous influence. The plan would have replaced the low Scale Structures around the square today with really monument style office buildings. Its hard to imagine today and as stuart described, the history of this place so many people involved and you know, that experience would not be with us today. Instead of the alternative design by by architect jon karl warnock, he leaves us with the the environment that we have today with really a powerful demonstration of the federal government respecting Historic Resources not only for their own value, but in the as as context for a new construction. And we see that all around us today also is as a prelude, i think, to the National Preservation act, which was enacted just three years, three years later, when president kennedy addressed the meeting of the National Trust for Historic Preservation in october of 1963. He specifically praised the efforts of david finley at the white house and at Decatur House and the National Trusts work across the country, as he said, quote, to maintain and keep alive a very lively sense of the past. The trust was chartered in 1949, and since then weve been honored to work with many president s and many first ladies to preserve Cultural Resources across the country. Were going to hear a lot more about first ladies in particular in preservation. But i think its really telling to note that in 1966, when president johnson sent the National Staff preservation act to congress, he attached the handwritten note that simply said lady bird wants it. So its also his very fitting that were gathered here at the end of national Historic Preservation Month Celebration that we we have annually. It actually began here with the dedication of preservation National Preservation week by president nixon in 1973. And its not really well known, but president and mrs. Nixon were really great champions of Historic Preservation and i would encourage you for an interesting take on an event here at the carter house proclaiming that First National Historic Preservation week. My colleague catherine in france has written a an article in the new issue of white house history, which is the journal published by the White House Historical association, in which details this particular event. Catherine, by the way, started her career at the National Trust right here as curator and Deputy Director of the carter house. Shes got it in her blood as she carries out the full programs of the National Trust. Weve been the National Trust has been honored over the years to play a role in programs like save americas treasures, which is known to many of you, which was begun by Hillary Clinton during her Husbands Administra