January 30, 2026
Michaela Althouse/PhillyVoice
Representatives from the city and the National Park Service presented arguments Friday during a hearing on the removal of the President's House slavery exhibits. Above, Michael Coard, a founding member of the group that helped created the display, speaks to reporters during a brief recess.
A federal judge made no official decision Friday on whether the recently removed President's House slavery exhibits will be able to be displayed again, but she said nothing more can be taken from the site on Independence Mall.
Representatives from the city, the National Park Service and the Avenging the Ancestors Coalition, a group that helped create the exhibits, presented arguments in a U.S. District Court hearing on the abrupt removal of panels and videos from the site on Jan. 22. The President's House tells the story of nine people who were enslaved by George Washington at his home in Philadelphia during his tenure as the first president of the United States.
Last week, the city filed a lawsuit calling for the return of the exhibits. On Friday afternoon, Judge Cynthia Rufe asked that all parties agree to not make any more changes for the time being, adding that she would put an official order in place to halt activity if necessary. Rufe wants to examine the panels Monday before issuing a ruling.
The exhibits were called into question in May when Interior Secretary Doug Burgum ordered a review of federal displays that "disparages Americans past or living." The display is currently being stored by the NPS at a facility near the National Constitution Center. City Solicitor Renee Garcia said the NPS planned to take down more displays at the site and her team asked that everything remain intact for now to avoid damage.
The President's House opened in 2010 after nearly a decade of activism and partnership between city officials, the federal government and the coalition, as the chiefs of staff of former mayors Michael Nutter and John Street testified Friday. Everett Gillison, who worked in the Nutter administration, said upgrades to the site were made and paid for by the city through 2015.
Attorneys for the city referenced several agreements, including National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Act, the agreement and subsequent amendments to create the exhibits and the 1948 agreement that established the 54 acres of Independence National Historical Park, which includes the land underneath the President's House. Per those documents, city representatives claimed NPS could not remove or change the exhibits without consulting Philadelphia officials, as it was a collaborative effort.
However, Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory in den Berken said that following the completion of the project in 2015, ownership was transferred to NPS. He also said the 2006 agreement which required the city's approval for changes had expired.
Cara McCLellan, an attorney representing ATAC, said the removal caused harm to those who can't access the information found at site. She added that for the people of African-American descent who had their history erased, it was like “pulling pages out of a history book with a razor.”
However, in den Berken said that while the information is important, removing the exhibits did not cause irreparable harm as it is not the only source of that history and that its creators did not have the right to tell the federal government what could be displayed.
"That history will endure," in den Berken said. "I think there are many people here who will ensure those stories will be told."
Rufe interrupted in den Berken's opening statement and argument several times to ask questions about the case, including why NPS decided the site needed to be taken down. Rufe referenced a 2017 social media post from President Donald Trump which criticized the removal of Confederate statues, asking how that incident differed from this one. In den Berken replied that it is ultimately up to the government to decide what they wanted to share in their displays.
“It changes on the whim of someone who is in charge?" Rufe asked, adding that no citizen should be subjected to that.
In closing arguments, the city's litigation chair Anne Taylor said the President's House is a "ghost" of a home which provides insight into the past and shows the people that lived there. Following Friday's proceedings, Garica reiterated that the city still intended to fight for the return of the exhibits.
"We're proud that we told this story," Garcia said. "We're proud of the city, we're proud of all the people that put this project together, and we're so filled with gratitude that they lent their shoulders for us to stand on today."
