The National Capital Planning Commission has kept alive the triumphal arch that President Donald Trump wants built at an entrance to the nation’s capital, requesting more information on how it could potentially impact air travel navigation in the area, as well as other specifics on construction and traffic in the area.
Most members of the federal agency that approves construction on federal land voted in favor Thursday of seeking more information from
the Department of the Interior, which submitted the application for the 250-foot arch planned between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery.
The vote came after nearly three hours of public comment from about 20 members of the public, some representing historic and architectural organizations, and most of whom expressed concerns about the arch that is one of several projects the Republican president is pursuing to leave his imprint on Washington.
Preliminary surveys and testing of the arch site began last month, and other approvals are underway. The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts — which only oversees designs and has no role in the actual construction or funding of the arch or any other project it considers — has approved the arch’s design, a key step in the project’s process but one that has no immediate bearing on the construction timeline.
For now, the National Capital Planning Commission is seeking more information justifying the proposed height of the towering arch, as well as additional details about lighting, management of storm water and how traffic and parking would be regulated for visitors.
Will Scharf, who has served as Trump’s White House staff secretary, heads the commission and acknowledged the applicant “has some homework to do,” Scharf said, suggesting more information on how it would appear from other monuments in the Washington area. But, Scharf said ultimately, this year's 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence "is as good an opportunity as any to add something to Washington, D.C., that will hopefully stand the test of time.
Stuart Levenbach, Trump appointee and commission vice chairman, said the proposed site represented “one of the few locations” in the area where such an “iconic civic monument could be appropriate," although he added that “it’s reasonable to consider whether a significant architectural statement belongs in such a location."
Many of those contacting the commission about the arch ahead of Thursday’s meeting voiced concerns about its massive scale, obstruction of the city’s skyline, and safety in the heavily trafficked area. Some of the comments called it a “waste of taxpayer money,” while others said it was Trump's “vanity project” or a “disgusting and disrespectful move by a man who wants to be king.”
Dozens of people were signed up to speak during Thursday’s meeting, many of whom have spoken against the project at previous meetings, and represented organizations like the National Parks Conservation Association, National Trust for Historic Preservation and the Society of Architectural Historians.
Several, including Gary Langston, a military veteran, opposed the arch on grounds that it is too big, needed congressional approval or would disrupt the sightline between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington House at Arlington National Cemetery that was created to symbolize reunification after the Civil War.
“What’s required here, if anything, is a solemn memorial rather than a monument,” Langston said.
Trump has asserted that he doesn’t need congressional approval because he’s building it on federal land.
The arch would stand 250 feet tall (76 meters) from its base to a torch held aloft by a Lady Liberty-like figure on top of the structure, flanked by two gilded eagles. But four lions, envisioned as guarding the base, have been removed. The phrases “One Nation Under God” and “Liberty and Justice for All” would be inscribed in gold lettering atop either side of the monument, and both east- and west-facing sides would feature text of the Pledge of Allegiance.
A public observation deck on top would provide 360-degree views of the region. The arch would have an exterior made of granite.
Critics have argued that the arch would dominate the skyline and disrupt carefully designed views between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery. It would be more than twice as tall as the Lincoln Memorial, which is 99 feet (30 meters), and close to half the height of the Washington Monument, at about 555 feet (169 meters).
One of the public commenters on Thursday had some suggestions. Shady Migally, an architect in California, suggested that any arch project should be more creative than a new take on Paris’ Arc de Triomphe, submitting an alternative design just as tall as the administration’s proposal but with less dense lateral columns and a higher inner archway that, according to online renderings, shows more visibility between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery.
Trump had said last year that the arch could be paid for with private donations left over from the ballroom project. A cost estimate for the arch is still being calculated, but a mix of taxpayer and private funds is expected to pay for it, according to a White House official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the president has not publicly discussed the project’s cost.
A group of veterans and a historian have sued the Trump administration in federal court to block the arch construction over concerns about disruptions to the sightline.
In an Oval Office event on Thursday, Trump called the arch a tribute to military victories.
“Nobody’s had more military victories, including recently, than we have,” he said.
The president has said some of his other projects, including adding a blue coating to the interior of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, will beautify the city in time for July 4 celebrations of America’s 250th birthday. His administration said Thursday that the renovation had been completed and was ready to be filled with water.
The White House East Wing was demolished to build a large ballroom,
And up until a judge ruled last week that it had been illegally added and must be removed, Trump’s name had been added to the Kennedy Center.
Critics have said Trump, a Republican, is spending too much time and attention on his pet projects and not enough on issues that voters care about, like the cost of living, in the run-up to the November elections.
That project is also the subject of a court challenge brought by The Cultural Landscape Foundation, which said repainting the bottom of the Reflecting Pool blue without first undergoing relevant reviews runs afoul of federal preservation laws governing historic sites.
An order in the case hasn’t come yet, and on Wednesday, the Trump administration notified the court that the work was complete, with the basin set to be filled by Sunday.
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Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://x.com/MegKinnardAP
