Fact check: What federal agency oversees historical preservation at the White House?

1. Who actually sets preservation policy at the White House — an advisory committee with statutory backing?

The core policymaking and advisory role for White House preservation is vested in the Committee for the Preservation of the White House, established by Executive Order 11145 and reauthorized repeatedly by subsequent orders; it advises the President on the preservation and protection of the building and its collections, and its membership deliberately spans federal agencies to ensure cross-agency input ^[6]. The Committee’s chair is the Director of the National Park Service, reflecting an administrative link to the Department of the Interior; a 2025 continuance order explicitly designates the Department of the Interior as the responsible agency for the Committee through September 30, 2027 ^[4]. This structure makes the Committee the principal federal forum that sets preservation priorities, approves restoration plans, and coordinates between the White House staff and federal preservation authorities ^[1].

2. Who does the hands-on conservation — the White House Office of the Curator’s practical role

Day-to-day conservation, research, and handling of the White House’s furniture, fine art, and decorative objects are executed by the White House Office of the Curator, a professional unit within the Executive Office responsible for conserving and studying the permanent collection that furnishes public and private rooms ^[3]. The Curator’s office manages treatment, preventive conservation, and documentation, and it implements the Committee’s guidance and approved projects on the ground. This creates a clear operational division: the Committee and federal agencies set policy and review proposals, while the Curator carries out conservation work and advises on acquisitions and exhibits within the residence’s historic interiors ^{[1] [3]}.

3. The National Park Service’s stewardship and public-facing role — more than a ceremonial chair

The National Park Service (NPS) plays a dual role: its director chairs the Committee for the Preservation of the White House, and NPS serves as steward of President’s Park and provides liaison support to White House operations, thereby connecting federal park-management expertise and preservation practice to the Executive Residence ^{[1] [7]}. The NPS’s ownership language — that the White House is “owned by the American people and stewarded by the National Park Service” — reflects public-lands legal and managerial responsibilities, particularly for the exterior grounds and visitor access dimensions, even as operational interior conservation is managed by the Curator and overseen by the Committee ^[2]. The 2025 executive continuance reaffirmed the Department of the Interior’s administrative responsibility for the Committee, reinforcing NPS centrality in federal oversight ^[4].

4. Where archives and historical records fit — a separate custody by National Archives

Presidential historical materials and many official records connected to preservation decisions are under the custody of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), which maintains records related to the Committee and its activities for research and accountability purposes ^[5]. NARA’s role is archival and documentary: it preserves correspondence, reports, and related materials that document preservation policies, decisions, and provenance of objects. That custody provides legal continuity and public record even when operational tasks are distributed across NPS, the Curator’s office, and other agencies, ensuring that the history of decisions and the provenance of the White House collection are preserved independently of ongoing stewardship ^[5].

5. Points of friction and different perspectives — why multiple agencies matter

Multiple agencies and offices sharing preservation responsibilities create both checks and overlaps: the Committee offers cross-agency oversight and presidential advice, the Curator handles conservation expertise, NPS provides stewardship and public-park management, and NARA secures documentary records ^{[1] [3] [2] [5]}. This multi-actor model reduces single-point failure but can produce bureaucratic tension over priorities, funding, and public access. Public communications often emphasize NPS stewardship to signal public ownership, while White House materials foreground the Curator’s expertise to highlight professional care within the residence; both emphases reflect institutional agendas to claim leadership over parts of preservation responsibility ^{[2] [3]}.

6. Bottom line for the original question — a straightforward answer with nuance

The concise federal answer is that the Committee for the Preservation of the White House, chaired by the Director of the National Park Service and administratively assigned to the Department of the Interior, oversees White House preservation policy, while the White House Office of the Curator performs daily conservation, the National Park Service provides stewardship and liaison functions, and the National Archives holds records documenting these activities ^{[1] [4] [3] [5]}. This distribution of duties is codified in executive orders and agency practice documented through 2025 and reflects an institutional balance between advisory oversight, operational conservation, public stewardship, and archival custody ^{[6] [4] [2]}.