Trump’s proposed Washington arch faces another federal review
Federal planners revisited Trump’s 250-foot Washington arch, even as staff urged design changes, a lawsuit challenges the project and costs remain unsettled.
Federal planners on Thursday reopened Donald Trump’s proposed arch for Washington, a monument that would sit on the Virginia side of the Memorial Bridge and alter the skyline across the Potomac from the Lincoln Memorial. The National Capital Planning Commission took up the plan as Trump pressed for a new memorial for the nation’s 250th anniversary.
Commission staff recommended approval of the preliminary site and building plans, but called for revisions to comply with the Height of Buildings Act, which limits building heights in downtown Washington to preserve the city’s skyline. Even with the suggested changes, the arch, a public observation deck and three gilded topper statues would still reach Trump’s target height of 250 feet. Staff also sought more information on vehicular traffic, the granite exterior and other project details before the Interior Department gives final approval.
The proposal has already moved through several federal checkpoints. The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts approved the design in May 2026, and preliminary surveys and geotechnical testing at the site began that same month. The National Park Service’s assessment put construction at 20 hours a day, year-round, with two 10-hour shifts, and completion within three years. It also put tower cranes as tall as 320 feet and other heavy equipment at a site near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, where the work could affect air traffic.
It includes a torch held by a Lady Liberty-like figure, two gilded eagles, four lions at the base and gold inscriptions reading “One Nation Under God” and “Liberty and Justice for All.” The arch would be more than twice the height of the Lincoln Memorial, which stands 99 feet tall, and about half as tall as the Washington Monument, which rises to about 555 feet.
Veterans, historians and preservation advocates oppose the arch because it would overwhelm carefully designed views between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington House/Arlington National Cemetery, which were intended to symbolize reunification after the Civil War. A group of Vietnam War veterans and a historian have sued in federal court to block the arch, and D.C. preservation officials have urged Trump to move it away from Memorial Circle. Trump said the monument could be funded with private donations left over from a ballroom project, but the final cost has not been set and a mix of taxpayer and private money is still expected.
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