Starts:

Tuesday January 27, 2026

    11:30 AM

Ends:

    2:00 PM

The future of some of the nation’s most significant historic buildings is at stake. Join WNDC for a timely and urgent discussion on how preservation advocates are pushing back against unprecedented threats to the White House and other federal landmarks. Betsy Merritt, deputy general counsel for the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and Rebecca Miller, executive director of the DC Preservation League, will discuss what their organizations are doing in response to President Trump's flaunting of Federal laws and regulations to demolish the East Wing of the White House to build a monstrous new ballroom. They will also discuss what is being done to thwart his effort to destroy the integrity of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building and to demolish other major federal buildings important to the history of the nation’s capital.

EVENT DETAILS:

• Remarks and Q&A, in-person and via Zoom.
• 11:30 a.m. cash bar opens, 12:15 p.m. lunch (optional), 1–2 p.m. program.
• $10 lecture or Zoom only, $30 members and $40 guests for lunch (plus tax).

Betsy Merritt has degrees from Mills College and Harvard Law School, and she has been with the National Trust since 1984. Betsy is dedicated to legal advocacy throughout the country to protect historic places, and she has been involved in hundreds of court cases to enforce compliance with preservation laws. She is especially committed to administrative advocacy, working to persuade agencies to adopt alternatives and modifications to their proposed projects that can avoid, minimize, and mitigate harm to historic properties, without having to go to court. This approach has been applied effectively for many DC projects.

Rebecca Miller holds a B.A. in History and M.A. in Business Administration and has been with DCPL since 2003. In addition to supervising the day-to-day operations of DCPL, Rebecca represents the organization as a consulting party to Federal agencies on Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act issues. This has included the consolidation of the Department of Homeland Security at the National Historic Landmark St. Elizabeths Hospital West Campus, Union Station, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. She has also led efforts to protect dozens of individual landmarks and historic districts throughout DC.

For non-member event reservations: please email pfitzgerald@democraticwoman.org or telephone 202-232-7363 Ext. 402 (voicemails will also be accepted).

*Please note: Guests, with the exception of members’ spouses and domestic partners, may attend a maximum of three paid events from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026. After the third event, they must join the Club to continue attending events.* 

Please note: By attending a WNDC event, participants agree to being recorded and/or photographed, and the resulting assets may be used for promotional purposes. Should you wish not to be recorded or photographed, please notify a member of the WNDC staff on site.