WASHINGTON (AP) — A new report from the National Park Service supports President Donald Trump’s proposed 250-foot-tall memorial arch, despite acknowledging potential adverse effects on the sightline between several iconic landmarks in Washington, including the Washington Monument and the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials. The report, released on Friday, indicates that the arch is likely to disrupt the historical significance of numerous sites near its planned location adjacent to Memorial Bridge.
Many of Washington’s monuments, buildings, and sites have been meticulously planned over decades to reflect significant moments in the nation’s history and to create symbolic connections through sightlines. According to the report, the arch will disturb the sightline between more iconic Washington landmarks than previously anticipated.
However, the Park Service report states that “the same characteristics that make Memorial Circle sensitive from a preservation perspective are also the characteristics that make it the historically appropriate location for the undertaking.” It adds that the project’s effects cannot be “fully avoided without either relocating the Arch away from the historically identified site or eliminating the principal commemorative feature, both of which would fail to meet the undertaking’s purpose and need.”
“For this reason, alternative locations outside Memorial Circle are not reasonable avoidance alternatives,” the report concluded.
The 133-page report supports Trump’s plans for the arch and may play a significant role in the administration’s defense against a legal challenge filed by three veterans and an architectural historian. The proposed arch is part of several projects the Republican president is pursuing to leave a lasting imprint on Washington, which includes renaming and renovating the Kennedy Center, building a new White House ballroom, refurbishing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, and rebuilding a golf course in East Potomac Park that could limit public access to running and biking paths.
The proposal for the arch received initial approval this summer from a key federal commission, even as an earlier report from the Park Service indicated that the project could impact the “integrity” of numerous historic properties due to changes in “character-defining visual and spatial relationships.” One significant concern noted by the Park Service is that the arch would disrupt the alignment between the Lincoln Memorial, Memorial Bridge, and Arlington House, which was formerly the home of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. This alignment was intended to physically and symbolically unite North and South through a coordinated monumental composition extending across the Potomac River.
The Lincoln Memorial-Arlington House connection is one of many historic sites and structures identified as being impacted by the proposed structure. The report also mentions that the National Mall, the U.S. Capitol, Washington Monument, Jefferson Memorial, Georgetown Historic District, Old Naval Observatory, Key Bridge, National Cathedral, and other sites would be affected.
Nicolas Sansone, an attorney with Public Citizen Litigation Group representing the plaintiffs, stated that the new report “confirms what we’ve been saying all along: the project will have an enormous impact and transform the National Mall.” He emphasized that the report reinforces the legal challengers’ claim that a project of this size and importance “is a decision for Congress to make” and should not be expedited through executive decree.
The arch design proposed by Trump has already received early approval from the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, whose commissioners were all appointed by Trump. The National Capital Area Planning Commission approved the site and preliminary plans at its July meeting, and the commission is expected to revisit the matter this fall.