Biden donald trump Barack Obama George w bush and bill clinton. Stuart mclaurin is president of the White House Historical association leading the associations nonprofit nonpartisan mission to support conserv. Station and preservation at the white house with private funding John Stanwich serves as the National ParkService Liaison to the white house overseeing the National Park services responsibilities for the care of the white house and its grounds as well as the park areas immediately surrounding the white house. Finally. We are joined by lydia teterick curator of the white house. She has been part of the white house curatorial staff since 1979. Tetrick has lectured and published articles on the white house collection and specializes in historic photographs of the executive mansion. Please join me in welcoming our panelists to the stage for our final panel today. Here put me in the middle here. I dont like this. Well, thank you sarah for that wonderful introduction. Its its been a pretty incredible day. I heard some fascinating insights from different people and i know this will be a fitting conclusion to our symposium. And before we get into our conversation about preservation with the white house, i figured i would share a little bit about the history behind these preservation efforts at the white house and in some of the challenges that we face. In addition to being the home and office of americas head of state the white house also must serve as a ceremonial stage and as a museum all while continuing to function on a daily basis as a home for the first family. The white house is not frozen in time rather. It is a Historic Place where history is constantly unfolding now. This makes the task of preservation even more challenging when the Historic Site you seek to protect and safeguard is used for large events, press conferences state dinners holiday parties. Those can be especially treacherous and in johns case easter egg rolls concerts picnics and tree lights and tree lightings all of these things. I would imagine can do a number on the long. Yeah. Also marine one landings, you know. Just your ordinary things that you have to deal with in a Historic Site. Yes, exactly. Visuals bring a different perspective on these issues. But before we get to our conversation, id like to summarize a brief history of preservation of the white house. For nearly a century the homes occupants constantly struggled to meet the expectations placed upon them by the American Public and press while congress appropriated funds for furniture and furnishings starting with john adams was 14,000 dollars. It was raised to 20,000 during Andrew Jacksons presidency and stayed that amount until the presidency of calvin coolidge. So as you can imagine the money went quickly and wasnt evenly distributed across the rooms. So since these funds didnt go very far this meant fixing broken items regaled in reupholstering shifting items between rooms to address different concerns and when necessary selling outdated or worn out items of public auction and using the proceeds to buy new items for the house in 1826 Congress Passed legislation that mandated that all furniture purchased for the white house should be as far as practicable be of american or domestic manufacturer. While this was included as part of the appropriations bill there were ways around this as we heard with for example, the China Services many of which were french made and were brought to the United States and then purchased from American Firms. The white house was after all an office in a home in an extremely accessible one at that. This greatly impacted the house. Its appearance and its furnishings in 1842. Authored Charles Dickens. Yes that Charles Dickens wrote a wrote of his experience visiting the white house. He noticed that there were a multitude of all asserting their supremacy more than anything else as they had no particular business the white house or that anybody knew of while waiting for president john Tyler Dickens made note of the gentleman who were waiting with him and their affinity for chewing tobacco. They quote bestowed their favors. So abundantly upon the carpet that i take for granted the president ial housemates have high wages. No, one saw these carpets as artifacts were the preserving rather. They were seen more as household necessities and even though spittoons were abundantly placed. Some people were just not polite enough to put their spit into a bucket only later in the 19th century did citizens began to see these places and objects differently. They became imbued with historical significance and relevancy much like we heard earlier today this movement and the wider cultural awakening behind Historic Preservation was propelled by women. First ladies hostesses journalists photographers researchers and eventually curators caroline harrisons attempt to identify and catalog white house china as well as create a display for the public to see this china in the executive mansion transpired shortly after the centennial celebration of the constitution in the celebration of the first presidency in george, washington. This was not a coincidence and as we heard earlier with with lucy hayes this idea of commemorations and centennials are very much connected to this wider idea of what is American History who defines it who tells the story while it would take some time for this role to solidify as part of the first ladys responsibilities. There are some notable examples worth mentioning and ill just touch on them briefly because we heard a bit of this earlier Edith Roosevelt overseeing a major white house renovation, but also suggesting that the portraits the first ladies be home on the ground floor corridor and that there be cabinets made to display pieces of president ial state service. We had edith wilson who created and designated the china room along the ground floor to house more of the collection Grace Coolidge who worked with a committee of experts to advise in the decor of state floor rooms and assessed donations to the white house and lou hoover who oversaw the first systematic study of white house artifacts their origins and even permitted documentary photographs to be taken of the private quarters. All of these women and we heard this in the late Morning Panel contributed these women and others to the evolving idea of preservation at the white house and after the truman renovation of 19481952 was first Lady Jacqueline kennedy who spearheaded a restoration at the executive mansion. Her hiring of the first curator of the white house Lorraine Waxman pierce as well as the support of congress through public law 87286 and act concerning the white house in providing for the care and preservation of its historic and artistic contents specified the need to preserve and interpret the museum character of the ground floor corridor and the public rooms on the state floor. It also codified that furniture fixtures and Decorative Arts of the white house are inalienable and considered the property of the white house mrs. Kennedy supported the creation of the White House Historical association as a cooperating organization with the National Park service, and we are proud to maintain that today six years 60 years later while mrs. Kennedys time at the white house was tragically cut short her successor Lady Bird Johnson and her husband president Lyndon Johnson further institutionalized these roles and are ongoing relationship president johnson issued executive order 11145, which officially created the position of white house curator and the committee for the preservation of the white house. And well talk a little bit more about what that is and whos on that the coalescence of these ideas and practices and collaboration between government private advisory practitioner all takes place in the 1960s and it sets a new standard for preservation of the white house. Today, well learn more about these roles these organizations and how we collaborate to carry out this critical work. So i would like to begin with a big question that im going to pose to all the panelists you all approach preservation from different perspectives in different capacities. But what would you say is your overarching philosophy when it comes to preserving the white house . Of who wants to begin . Ill jump in sure. Preserving preservation at the white house. I love this picture. Its not just material culture, right and and you so eloquently stated the different roles it has. And preservation has each of those roles as well. When you look at that executive order it talks about this place that its a place of democracy of ideas. So i think preservation at the white house is much more than our typical understanding of Museum Preservation material culture architecture, right . This is also preservation of a power of place. This is a place of preservation of ideas of american ideas that actually define us as americans the only thing that defines americans is ideas. Were not a tribe. Were not a religion. Were not a conquest. This is one of the nuclei of those ideas. So i think that for us on the committee and for the way those Historical AssociationCurators Office and john and and all the wonderful people that weve weve been able to Work Together on preservation all of those dimensions come together in a preservation standpoint, but then they also hit the practical right the the press who have to use this house the White House Christmas party is the all of the things that make this a breathing museum house on office. A stage set a theater that most of us in preservation wouldnt think about at our respective sites. I i would definitely thank you very much as a really eloquent start. Obviously the park service. Weve been involved with the white house since 1933. And then with this house itself and the collection some ways too since 1961 and i feel you know, its it really speaks to what the National Park service is about. Its about preserving protecting and telling the story of this nation for future generations. And i feel like thats what we do every day working here at the white house and i feel like you know, all those things that we see, you know are important for people, you know, we sometimes take it for granted, but people really see each one of those things as meaning something to them something theyve waited their whole life to see so its very very important to us that we all bear together and making sure that that place is very special for people when they come to visit it also too as weve said its its ever dynamic environment. Its changing. Great moment. Its changing with every administration. And so we have to be there to adjust and be able to be nimble and to work with it. But at the same time understand that trust thats been given to us from president s in first families before that. Those areas are there and you know a sacred to them and it will be sacred to those future generations of our leaders and their families as well that come you know in the future. So its a really important trust that we all have and we collectively share and Work Together collaboratively on i would say our approach is a little more practical because as you know, were not a traditional museum. Were first and foremost the home of the president of the United States and then a Historic House museum with an important collection of fine and Decorative Arts. So our objects are used people do sit on our 19th century chairs and sofas. We do have regular tours. There are a number of events that take place in state four rooms as weve been hearing food and drinks are served in these rooms. So the question for us is what can we do to help preserve this collection and the white house for the future and for a few future first families, and we do this in a number of ways, for example, we offer training sessions to resident staff on how best to handle the collection gloves are worn to protect sensitive surfaces. From oils found naturally on hands for staff outside of the residents weve given presentation to new employees as part of an orientation session to tell them a little bit about white house history and about art collection, which now numbers about 60,000 objects. We emphasize to them that important objects can be found in all of the public spaces that they may see on a daytoday basis. So we ask them, you know, unless youre a guest at an event to please not sit on the furniture. Please dont walk through the state floor rooms with your coffee cups. And essentially were inviting them to help us preserve the collection. We monitored tour setups. Any object that may be at risk and hopefully well be identified and we can suggest modifications in order to protect it in additionally our curatorial staff monitors the condition of all of our objects. We arrange for conservators to periodically examine the collection we work with them to establish a priority list for objects that are in need of treatment and we arrange for that conservation there have actually been times when the fragility of a piece has forced us to retire it from service if this happens, it doesnt mean that its going to be sent off to storage forever, but we now have an opportunity to place it on display at the white house visitors or at the smithsonian. Well, thank you matt for the for the question for leading this and as i began this morning to thank you and colleen for putting this entire day together. Its really been a marvelous day and to have leslie lydia and john on this panel. Im starting my ninth year here at this association, and i dont think weve had these four perspectives or voices from the committee for the preservation of the white house a curator the park service and our voice in the panel, and its really an interesting and fundamental. Look at how the place. The continuity of care for the place president s come and go and there have been 46 presidencies and 45 men and they are as different as they can be all of them. But they have one thing in common and that one thing they all have in common. Is that little white house about 200 yards where were sitting right now. And so we exist the White House Historical association as the living legacy of mrs. Kennedy that matt outlined what she did miraculously remember shes 31 years old when her husband becomes president. Shes first lady for less than three years jury to the of her husband. She could have thought she had four years or eight years to put something in place according to her vision, but she front loaded that thank goodness and now 11 president s and first ladies since the kennedys have been able to benefit from and take advantage of things like a curator to care for the art and the objects a committee for the preservation of the white house to be the wise sound voices of advice and counsel in the first lady is going to do something and in our case to be the nontax payer funder to make this possible if you look at homes of heads of state around the world even Buckingham Palace and certainly number 10 if you sorry any british friends that are watching, but if you go into number 10, and the draperies are frayed and the furniture is frayed and its nothing its they because you cant go to parliament and say give us this money would just be a big screaming headline and the newspaper says it some what has been recently, but we mrs. Kennedy at that young age. Short period of time put in place these processes and procedures including us so that over this time were able to fund and make possible the things that lydia and her team identify that have to be done and that the committee for the preservation of the white house advises the first lady that should be done or how they should be undertaken and thats an amazing privilege that this country has this organization has to do that on behalf of the American People. And so some people would think of us as like the check writers to make that possible, but were more deeply invested in the care of the house and all three of these aspects and in being their biggest fans and cheerleaders of what they do and helping make possible what they do. Its really a brilliant system in our country is very very fortunate to have this structure in place. Well, and thats actually its a great transition because were talking about collaboration and how these different entities and organizations have worked together. While im distinct roles related to the white house, but we work collaboratively on preservation and acquisition efforts. So in terms of process i was wondering if you could enlighten us as a panel. How does this how does this work . How does it how do these relationships work . Im sure sometimes maybe they dont work as well and sometimes they work better, but how does acquisitions work just kind of pull back the curtain and tell us a little bit more about the relationships. I guess ill take that one. Obviously a lot of us got here to to up on the stage to different ways. I actually studied lawn diplomacy. I went to the Fletcher School of law and diplomacy at Tufts University and i was anticipating going and working for the state department, you know going overseas and working my studying american diplomatic history and my concentration was on early us russian rela