A federal arts commission approved a modified plan Thursday for President Donald Trump’s proposed arch along the Potomac River.
While similar to the original concept, the altered design removes a platform below the arch and tunnel access to the site. At Trump’s request, the plan to build large golden sculptures atop the arch was retained, while the designers selected granite for the surface stone.
One member of the Commission of Fine Arts in April questioned the inclusion of a 60-foot golden statue of Lady Liberty flanked by eagles. But the arch’s designer, Nicolas Charbonneau, told the panel, who were all appointed by the president earlier this year, that Trump had considered but rejected the suggestion.
The 250-foot triumphal arch — which would stand 166 feet tall without the statue — is one of several projects the Trump administration has undertaken to remodel Washington at the president’s personal direction. The projects underway — including renovations in Lafayette Park, a planned “heroes” garden and repairs to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool — have stirred significant debate on Capitol Hill.
Democratic lawmakers in particular have questioned whether the Trump administration is steamrolling through the traditional review process for projects, as well as failing to seek required congressional approvals.
How it will be paid for is also in question. Trump has said the project could be funded by leftover private donations for his $400 million ballroom, and the National Endowment for the Humanities has indicated it will divert money to the project.
Commissioners at Thursday’s meeting said they liked the project because it reflected prior plans to build memorials at the site of the traffic circle on the Virginia side of the Memorial Bridge. While the commission approved the arch, there could be additional statues added in niches along the facade, which the commissioners asked to review.
Vice Chair James McCrery said there is a “well-established acknowledgment” of the need for “substantial work” at Memorial Circle, which sits across the Potomac River from the Lincoln Memorial.
“There’s a long, long, long tradition that this team and this project is participating and extending,” McCrery said.
Commission Chair Rodney Mims Cook Jr. said that Washington is not “static,” and said the U.S. has a “builder president” who wants to “open up new opportunities for Americans” and celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
The commission received around 600 comments about the design before the May meeting. More than 99 percent of those were in opposition, according to the commission’s secretary. Before the April meeting, the 1,000 comments the commission received were all in opposition.
That pattern continued Thursday.
Elizabeth Merritt, the deputy general counsel for the National Trust for Historic Preservation, said that the Commemorative Works Act requires authorization of the project by Congress. A separate review mandated by the National Historic Preservation Act also should have already been completed, she said.
Merritt said the arch would interrupt the area between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington House, the former Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee’s home, which was intended to commemorate reconciliation between the Northern and Southern states after the Civil War. The arch site is close to Arlington National Cemetery.
“The arch as proposed would dominate the national cemetery and would be inconsistent with its solemn and hallowed character,” Merritt said.
The design for the project includes two traffic lights to allow pedestrian access.
A veteran’s group has sued the administration over the arch, arguing it needs congressional approval to move forward. Federal Judge Tanya Chutkan in April prohibited the National Park Service from beginning construction without first giving notice.
Last week, a construction crew drilled two boring holes at the site to obtain information about the soil. Charbonneau on Thursday said the two borings had identified bedrock 70 feet below ground.
The arch also requires approval from the National Capital Planning Commission and is on that panel’s agenda for its upcoming June 4 meeting.
