BS BULLETIN:
- The Trump administration says excavation for President Donald Trump’s planned 250-foot triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery will begin within the next two weeks.
- The granite monument would feature gold detailing, gilded eagles, a winged Liberty figure and an observation deck — and would stand roughly 86 feet taller than Paris’ Arc de Triomphe.
- The project is moving toward construction despite an ongoing lawsuit and without final approval yet from the National Capital Planning Commission.
President Donald Trump’s enormous new addition to the Washington skyline is moving from rendering to reality.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum announced Thursday that excavation is expected to begin within two weeks for Trump’s planned 250-foot triumphal arch at Memorial Circle, near Arlington National Cemetery and across the Potomac from the Lincoln Memorial.
“This will be one of the Great Pieces of American Architecture,” Burgum said, describing it as befitting “the most powerful Capital in the World.”
And when Trump says great, apparently he also means big.
The proposed monument would stand about 86 feet taller than the Arc de Triomphe in Paris and more than twice as tall as the 99-foot Lincoln Memorial. Trump has said it will be the largest triumphal arch in the world.
Renderings show a granite structure decorated with gold, including two gilded eagles and a winged Liberty figure holding a torch. “ONE NATION UNDER GOD” would be inscribed across the monument, and visitors would be able to use an observation deck near the top.
The project isn’t without controversy. Critics argue its enormous scale will disrupt historic sightlines between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery. A lawsuit filed by three veterans and an architectural historian also argues that the administration lacks congressional authorization to build it.
The Commission of Fine Arts has approved the design, while the National Capital Planning Commission gave preliminary approval in July but has not yet granted final approval.
Nevertheless, the shovels are apparently coming.
DBS WIRE SOURCES
- AP — Excavation on Trump’s arch to begin within two weeks
- CBS News — Work on Trump-backed triumphal arch set to start
- Washington Post — Officials say work will begin within two weeks
- AP — National Park Service backs Trump’s arch
