National Park Service backs Trump’s 250-foot arch despite ‘adverse effects’ on historic sites
The park service is backing the arch, despite finding that it would adversely affect historic sightlines and other visual relationships among nearby landmarks.
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A scaled model of U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposed 259-foot triumphal arch and the surrounding area, including the Lincoln Memorial, is displayed on a table at a National Capital Planning Commission meeting in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 9, 2026.
Elizabeth Frantz | Reuters
The National Park Service is backing the location and scale of President Donald Trump's proposed 250-foot Triumphal Arch, despite finding that it would adversely affect historic properties and sightlines around Washington.
"The selected action, a Triumphal Arch, continues this historic lineage by introducing a focal point that reflects the site's intended character and celebrates 250 years of American independence," the federal agency wrote in a report published on Friday.
Trump first proposed the arch last year. It is slated to be built in Memorial Circle, a roundabout near the main entrance to the Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. The arch has already drawn widespread backlash from lawmakers, conservationists and veterans for its impact on the Washington, D.C., skyline and local traffic. At about 250 feet, the arch would be more than double the height of the Lincoln Memorial.
The National Historic Preservation Act requires federal agencies to consider the effects of federal undertakings on historic properties.
The report identified adverse effects on dozens of historic properties, including the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument and other landmarks. The expected "adverse effects" are related to changes in views and the skyline rather than any physical damage to the properties.
"Alternative locations may reduce or avoid some adverse effects associated with Memorial Circle, but they would also sever the project from the specific historic planning precedent that provides the rationale for the undertaking's placement," the report said.
Likewise, the agency said smaller versions would more completely obstruct the historic view between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery, while the proposed arch would frame part of that sightline through its central opening.
All told, the park service received more than 100,000 public comments during the initial June consultation and another 6,254 during the reopened July period, according to the park service report.
