President Trump’s 250-foot proposed Triumphal Arch would require structural revisions to earn final approval, the National Planning Commission said Thursday, before voting to preliminarily approve the plans.
The proposed Memorial Circle monument has a 166-foot mezzanine and 24-foot observation level, with a 60-foot statue of Lady Liberty on top. This would violate the 1910 Heights of Buildings Act, which seeks to preserve the Washington, D.C. skyline by limiting buildings to 130 feet, according to the National Planning Commission. The Department of Interior argued the act “does not apply to federal buildings” in a June memo.
The NCPC, however, said it “has historically held that the Height of Buildings Act is binding on federal buildings, and NCPC has consistently applied that position.”
The commission offered a compromise, suggesting the mezzanine and observation level be decreased to 130 feet and 20 feet, respectively. The remaining 40 feet could be added back to the statue. Under this proposal, Lady Liberty would be 100-feet tall, and the overall arch would still amass to 250 feet.
If construction goes forward as proposed, the arch would dwarf the 99-foot Lincoln Memorial, which is across the bridge. It would also be roughly 30 feet taller than the Plaza de la República in Mexico City, currently the largest arch in the world.
The arch has faced significant public criticism, which was on display as witnesses spoke for well over an hour at the meeting. A variety of reasons from public process to cultural presentation were cited, including passionate appeals about how the visual obstruction of Arlington Cemetery is offensive.
“My concern is not with commemoration itself, but with this specific proposal, its location, its scale, and its impact on a historic memorial landscape,” said Cynthia Morrison, a Gold Star mother. “The open space between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery is not just empty land. It is deliberately designed and historically significant memorial vista.”
Michael Lemmon, a Vietnam veteran and plaintiff in the lawsuit against the arch, advocated for “a careful review by concerned stakeholders” such as residents, veterans, historians and legislators and raised concerns about how the arch may impede ceremonies, burials and visits to Arlington.
“As a combat veteran, I feel a duty to protect the memory and honor the sacrifice of my comrades and all those buried there,” Lemmon said, “This vainglorious monumental arch does neither.”
A majority of the commission voted in favor of approving preliminary site plans for the arch.
While the commission, chaired by Trump White House aide Will Scharf, did not pose any substantive challenges to the arch, it did leave a few stipulations.
Critics of the arch have also expressed concerns about the flight path to nearby Ronald Reagan National Airport.
Any recommendations by the Federal Aviation Administration must be incorporated, and the FAA still needs to conduct a full aeronautical study before construction.
The NCPC is asking for revisions to plans for pedestrian accessibility and lighting, as well. The commission is concerned the 32 proposed traffic poles will create clutter and about the brightness from eight 14-to-20-foot tall stanchions.
There is no date set for final review of the site and building plans. According to National Park Service documents filed to the federal registrar last month, federal officials are seeking an aggressive work schedule that would require 20 hours a day of construction over two years.
While many of D.C.’s monuments are constructed in natural stone such as marble and limestone, the arch is set to be built from concrete and finished with granite.
