What does the Facilities Management Division do?

As part of the Office of Administration, the Facilities Management Division's mission is to professionally manage the use of space and oversee the maintenance of space within all EOP facilities and provide excellence in customer service. The core functions include the Facility Request Program, Space Management, Project Oversight, Conference and Meeting Support, Preservation Stewardship, and Recycling Program Management.

What does the Preservation Office do?

As part of the Facilities Management Division, the Preservation Office's mission is the preservation of the historic and architectural integrity of the EOP properties. This involves the following tasks:

1. Oversee the restoration and preservation of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building (EEOB), the East and West Wings of the White House, and the Jackson Place Townhouses, among other selected properties.
2. Direct and manage public education programs on the history of the EOP properties (these include special presentations, small group tours, exhibitions, brochures and other informational requests).
3. Maintain collections of furnishings, decorative arts, architectural fragments, prints and drawings, and research files, as well as manage the receipt of gifts and the loans of materials and furnishings.

Preservation Office Completed Projects

Since its establishment, the Preservation Office has initiated and overseen several restoration projects such as the award-winning restoration of the slate and cast iron roof and the restoration of the three Department libraries originally occupying the building (the State, War, and Navy Departments). The Secretary of the Navy's office has been restored to its circa 1900 appearance and serves as the ceremonial office of the Vice President. The Pennsylvania Avenue entrance, bronze stair balusters, corridors, corner domes and the fifth floor east and west rotundas have also been restored to their original condition. Additional work has included repair and replacement of window sash and doors; rebuilding the exterior plazas including lighting, fencing and paving; repair and upgrading of the elevators; and installation of a fire suppression system in the basement. In all the projects that are completed, the work is monitored to assure consistency with preservation criteria. In 1988, Congress enacted legislation to allow the Office of Administration to accept gifts and loans for preservation activities so as to shift the expense to public and private partnerships.

Current Preservation Office Projects

Preservation, renovation, and restoration projects overseen by the Preservation Office are underway at all times. Current projects at the EEOB include life safety upgrades and improvements, phased renovation of the toilet facilities, and ongoing painting and maintenance work. Current projects at the Jackson Place Townhouses include a phased exterior restoration of the rear facades and ongoing painting and maintenance work.

EEOB Tour

Photo by: Library of Congress, Circa 1890

Constructed from 1871-1888 for the State, War and Navy Departments, this building has played a significant role in America's political history and architectural heritage. It was designed by Supervising Architect Alfred B. Mullett in the French Second Empire style and contained innovative building systems for the time - waterclosets, passenger elevators, utility conduits and a building-wide convection heating and cooling system.

Public tours are currently suspended until further notice. In the meantime, you can visit the restored areas of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building and learn more about the history of the building on the official EEOB web tour.

Occupant Histories

The Executive Office of the President (EOP) moved in officially in 1947 after the last of the original occupants, the State Department, moved out. The first EOP entities to move into the old State Building (as the EEOB was known) were the Bureau of the Budget (now the Office of Management and Budget) and the National Security Council.

Several entities make up the Executive Office of the President. These entities are varied, and have a unique history. The Office of the Administration Preservation Office is currently seeking information related to the history of these many entities in hopes of creating documentation of the individual agency histories.

Selected Historical Events at the EEOB

Date	Event
1871	Construction begins for the south wing to house the Department of State. Wing completed December 1875.
1872	Construction begins for the east wing to house the Department of Navy. Wing completed April 1879.
1879	Construction begins for the north wing to house the Department of War. Wing completed June 1884.
1884	Construction begins for the west and center wings to house the Department of War. Wings completed January 1888.
1884	Meridian conference held at the State Department to establish Greenwich Mean Time and the Prime Meridian.
c.1890	First light bulb used in the building.
1912	Burial service for the sailors recovered from the Maine held on south grounds of the building.
1918	Building reaches highest occupancy ever with over 4,000 employees; Navy Department vacates the building.
1938	War Department vacates the building.
1941	Secretary of State Cordell Hull confronts Japanese envoys in Room 208 upon receipt of news that Pearl Harbor was attacked.
1955	President Eisenhower holds the first televised Presidential Press Conference in the Indian Treaty Room.
1971	Eisenhower Executive Office Building declared a National Historic Landmark.
1982	Office of Administration establishes Preservation Office.
1985	Public tour program established.
1999	President Clinton signs an Executive Order that renames the Old Executive Office Building to be the Dwight D. Eisenhower Executive Office Building.
2002	President George W. Bush rededicates the landmark as the Dwight D. Eisenhower Executive Office Building.

Photo by: National Archives

In 1969, the 30th anniversary of the Executive Office of the President Budget ceremony was held in the Indian Treaty Room, Room 474, in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. This room held the Navy library from 1879-1923 and was used by the War Department from 1923 to 1938 when they moved out of the building. The State Department used the room until 1947 when they moved from the building. Presidential press conferences were held in the room from 1950 to 1960.

Office of Administration History

The Executive Office of the President (EOP) officially moved into the EEOB in 1947 after the last of the original occupants, the State Department, moved out. The first EOP entities to move into the old State Building (as the EEOB was known) were the Bureau of the Budget (now the Office of Management and Budget) and the National Security Council.

On December 12, 1977, President Carter issued Executive Order 12028 that merged the administrative functions of ten entities of the EOP, to be consolidated as the Office of Administration (OA). In the following excerpt from that Executive Order, President Carter defined OA's mission statement and role:

Sec. 3 (a) The Office of the Administration shall provide common administrative support and services to all units within the Executive Office of the President, except for such services provided primarily in direct support of the President. The Office of the Administration shall, upon request, assist the White House Office in performing its role of providing those administrative services, which are primarily in direct support of the President.

(b) The common administrative support and services provided by the Office of Administration shall encompass all types of administrative support and services that may be used by, or useful to, units within the Executive Office of the President. Such services and support shall include, but not be limited to, providing support services in the following administrative areas:

1. personnel management services, including equal employment opportunity programs;
2. financial management services;
3. data processing, including support and services;
4. library, records and information services;
5. office services and operations, including mail, messenger, printing and duplication, graphics, word processing, procurement, and supply services; and
6. any other administrative support or service, which will achieve financial savings and increase efficiency through centralization of the supporting service.