Here's an update on the Fort Monroe Proclamation signing from the White House's pool press report: 

President Obama today signed a Proclamation designating Fort Monroe in Hampton, Virginia, a National Monument.

On the proclamation signing, POTUS said that Fort Monroe “played a remarkable role in the history of our nation.” He noted it was the “site of the first slave ships” and in the Civil War, Fort Monroe also became “a refuge for slaves who had escaped from the South,” creating “an environment in which Abraham Lincoln was able to sign the Emancipation Proclamation.”

Ft. Monroe closed in September. Local officials estimate that keeping the military base open will create an estimated 3,000 new jobs and provide millions dollars for the local economy, Obama said. Today’s announcement is one in a series of executive actions taken by Obama while Congress continues its stalemate over the American Jobs Act. 

Pool was ushered into the Oval at 1:58 pm.   Obama wore a dark navy suit, white shirt and blue printed tie. Sen. Mark Warner stood directly behind him along with other elected officials and local citizens. Pool left Oval at 2:05 pm.