A federal arts panel handpicked by President Donald Trump has given preliminary approval to early designs for a towering triumphal arch planned for Washington, clearing one procedural hurdle in what promises to be a contentious approval process.
The Commission of Fine Arts, which Trump reconstituted after firing its previous members, reviewed the project Thursday and asked the architect to refine details before a second presentation. The panel does not have final say on whether construction proceeds.
The proposed arch would stand 250 feet tall, twice the height of the Lincoln Memorial and nearly as tall as the Capitol itself. Designed to commemorate the nation's semiquincentennial, it would become the world's tallest triumphal arch, styled after Paris's 164-foot Arc de Triomphe. Early renderings show eagles, Lady Liberty, and a line from the Pledge of Allegiance etched into the structure.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum presented the project at Thursday's hearing, calling it an embodiment of American freedom. He argued that the planned site, a human-made island in the Potomac River between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery, was currently barren and underutilized.
The arch's sheer height has already drawn criticism from multiple quarters. Its proximity to Washington Reagan National Airport triggered scrutiny over aviation concerns. During Thursday's hearing, architect James McCrery II, who previously worked on Trump's proposed White House ballroom before objecting to its size, suggested removing three statues from atop the arch that add 84 feet to its overall height. He also recommended replacing four planned gold lion statues, noting that lions do not naturally occur in North America.
Public response has been overwhelmingly negative. The commission's secretary disclosed that the panel received approximately 1,000 comments on the proposal, all of them opposed. Critics argue the structure would mar the visual corridor between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington, disrupting a landscape steeped in historical significance.
A 26-year-old White House aide, Chamberlain Harris, whom Trump appointed to lead the Commission of Fine Arts in February, defended the arch Thursday as honoring the original vision of Washington's designers.
The project faces legal jeopardy as well. Veterans and historians have sued the administration, arguing that congressional approval is required before construction can begin. That lawsuit remains pending.
Trump's interest in the arch has shifted in its public messaging. Last year, when asked whom the structure would honor, Trump replied directly: "Me." More recently, White House spokesman Davis Ingle stated that the arch would enhance the visitor experience at Arlington and serve as a visual reminder of American sacrifices and freedoms.
The triumphal arch is one of several architectural reshaping projects Trump has undertaken during his second term. A federal judge on Thursday also halted aboveground construction on Trump's proposed White House ballroom. The Kennedy Center is facing a separate lawsuit over its renaming by a Trump-appointed board. Trump has additionally proposed painting the Eisenhower Executive Office Building white and constructing a "National Garden of America Heroes" along the Potomac.
Author Sarah Mitchell: "This arch reads like the work of a man determined to leave his mark on the capital by any means necessary, regardless of what historians, neighbors, or the law thinks about it."
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