U.S. Commission of Fine Arts Approves Trump’s 250-Foot Arc de Trump Design in Washington

The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts on Thursday approved designs for President Donald Trump’s proposed 250-foot triumphal arch in Washington, a key step in the project’s process.

The arch, dubbed the “Arc de Trump,” is designed to stand 250ft tall and includes a public viewing deck, with the administration saying it would be “one of the most iconic landmarks not only in Washington DC, but throughout the world”.

ABC News

At the White House, Trump told reporters, “That’s good news,” after the panel approved the plans, and he added, “We’re building what’s called the ‘triumphal arch’ right opposite the Arlington Memorial Bridge, right by the Arlington cemetery. It’s beautiful”.

The commission’s chairman Rodney Mims Cook Jr. said, “Washington is not a static city,” and the next step is for the proposed design to be reviewed by the National Capital Planning Commission next month.

The Guardian reported that a group of military veterans and historic preservationists sued to stop construction, arguing the structure had not received congressional approval and would disrupt visiting Arlington National Cemetery and obstruct “the symbolic and inspiring view” from the cemetery to the Lincoln Memorial.

In the revised design approved Thursday, the arch remains 250 feet tall, but CNN reported the overall height shrank after an eight-foot-tall base was removed and four gold lions on the base were also taken out.

CBS News said the four lions envisioned as guarding the base are now gone, and it described the phrases “One Nation Under God” and “Liberty and Justice for All” being inscribed in gold lettering atop either side of the monument.

Al Jazeera

CNN also quoted a source saying the approval was rammed through “at unprecedented speed, except for the White House ballroom,” while Trump welcomed the vote by telling reporters it was “beautiful.”

PBS reported that commissioners acted despite overwhelming public opposition, and it said preliminary surveys and testing of the arch site began last week.

The USA Today account said the CFA received more than 1000 letters opposing the project, and it quoted Susan Douglas warning that the “grotesque size of a 250 foot tall arch would block the historic sight line between the Robert E. Lee Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial.”

After the Fine Arts panel’s approval, the National Capital Planning Commission has the arch on its agenda at its June meeting, while preliminary surveys and testing of the site began last week.

PBS said the commission only oversees designs and has no role in the actual construction or funding of the arch, and it reported that a cost estimate is still being calculated with a mix of taxpayer and private money expected to be used.

The Guardian reported that the White House official told it the arch’s estimated cost was “still being calculated” and would be released in the near future, and that the administration expects funding through “some combination of public and private funds”.

CBS News said a group of veterans and a historian have sued the Trump administration in federal court to block construction over concerns about disruptions to the sightline, and it noted that so far “the judge has yet to intervene.”

Trump told reporters he does not need Congress to approve the arch, saying, “The land is owned by ... the Interior Department, we don’t need anything from Congress,” as the project faces legal challenges and further federal review.