The National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) convened on Thursday, July 9, 2026, to review preliminary site and building plans for President Donald Trump's proposed 250-foot triumphal arch in Washington, D.
C.
The federal oversight agency's staff recommended approving the preliminary plans but urged modifications to comply with the 1910 Height of Buildings Act, which limits building heights in downtown Washington to protect the historic skyline.
"Staff suggests the Commission request the applicant revise the project design to comply with the Height of Buildings Act and return to NCPC for final approval," the 185-page report states.
Adhering to the federal law would require design changes to redistribute height among the main structure, habitable roof, and statuary, though the total structure would still reach the desired 250 feet, according to the report.
Historical Context and Legal Basis
President Trump argued that the monument fulfills a century-old congressional vision from 1925 that originally authorized a bridge and a pair of 166-foot columns at Memorial Circle, though the columns were never constructed.
"People pass that circle, they say, why isn't something built here?" Trump said in the Oval Office in May.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, who is helping oversee the project, told a federal commission in April that the new design builds on the historical concept by keeping the core columns at 166 feet, but adding 84 feet of pedestal and statuary to reach the 250-foot total height.
Trump administration lawyers wrote in a court filing last month that "neither the underlying Congressional authorization to build the columns — nor the discretion to modify column design — have expired."
The Justice Department asserted that the administration holds the legal authority to construct the monument based on the historical Arlington Memorial Bridge Commission report previously approved by lawmakers.
Criticism and Legal Challenges
The proposed arch has drawn sharp criticism from local officials and preservationists who argue the structure is too large and disrupts the historic sightline between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery.
Priya Jain, who chairs the heritage conservation committee at the Society of Architectural Historians, said at an NCPC meeting last month that historical renderings demonstrate that the 1925 plan for two individual columns is materially different from the massive single arch now being proposed.
Local preservation officers have also expressed concern that placing the monument at the traffic roundabout on the Virginia side of the Memorial Bridge would cause irreversible harm to the area's cultural landscape.
David Maloney, the city’s historic preservation officer, warned that the project would "severely damage an exceptional cultural landscape and one of the most important symbolic places in the nation."
Critics note that Washington's major memorials have traditionally been selected through open design competitions, a process they say was bypassed in this instance.
Design critic Catesby Leigh originally proposed the arch in April 2025 on a conservative think tank's website, featuring a sketch by architect Nicolas Charbonneau of Harrison Design, who was later introduced as the lead designer.
Trump said in May that the project did not require congressional intervention, stating that funding could partially come from private donations previously raised for a White House ballroom project.
However, recent findings indicate that public funds will be utilized for both projects.
A group of veterans and a historian have filed a federal lawsuit to block construction over sightline concerns.
Charles Birnbaum, a landscape architect and founder of The Cultural Landscape Foundation, criticized the project's rapid acceleration, noting that it avoided the public review processes that have governed Washington's civic architecture for over a century.
The Commission of Fine Arts, led by Trump appointee Rodney Mims Cook, Jr., approved the concept design in April 2026 following a presentation where commissioners urged swift movement on the project.
The NCPC's preliminary review marks the next step in the approval process, with final project designs requiring separate, subsequent approval before construction can begin.
