National Park Service warns Trump-proposed memorial arch could alter historic sightlines in Washington
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A National Park Service assessment says the planned 250-foot triumphal arch would disrupt visual and spatial relationships among key monuments, including the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington House, and may require congressional authorization.
The National Park Service has concluded that President Donald Trump's proposal for a 250-foot gilded arch in Washington, D.C., would interfere with the historic alignment of dozens of monuments and sites. The report notes that the structure would break the established sightline linking the Lincoln Memorial, the Memorial Bridge and Arlington House, a historic residence formerly owned by Confederate General Robert E. Lee, and would affect the National Mall, the U.S. Capitol, the Washington Monument and Lady Bird Johnson Park.
The arch, which received preliminary approval from the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts and the National Capital Planning Commission, is slated for further review in September. The White House said it will comply with all legal requirements for construction.
"The Triumphal Arch in Memorial Circle is going to be one of the most iconic landmarks not only in Washington, D.C., but throughout the world," White House spokesman Davis Ingle said, adding that it would enhance the visitor experience at Arlington National Cemetery.
Opponents, including three veterans and a historian, have filed a lawsuit arguing that the project lacks congressional authorization, as required for monuments on National Park Service land. Their attorney, Nicolas Sansone of the Public Citizen Litigation Group, said the National Park Service assessment confirms the plaintiffs' concerns about the arch's impact on the symbolic landscape.
The assessment highlights that the bridge alignment and surrounding ceremonial landscape were originally intended to symbolically unite the North and South, a purpose that could be compromised by the new structure.