Donald Trump’s administration has halted the federal review required to assess the impact of a proposed 250‑foot arch on Washington, D.C.’s historic landscape, according to a letter from the project’s advisory board sent to local governments and advocacy groups.
Earlier this year the National Park Service identified 42 historic properties that would be altered and noted that the arch would obstruct views of the Washington Monument, Arlington House, the Lincoln Memorial and the Capitol dome, thereby adversely affecting the National Mall’s commemorative character.
In the letter, Vice Chairman Travis Voyles announced that the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation was terminating consultation, stating that additional input would not resolve the memorandum of understanding and that alternatives would alter the project’s fundamental nature. The council will now make its own recommendations to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum.
Legal challenges have been filed by veterans groups alleging the structure would dishonor military cemeteries and violate the Height of Buildings Act, while a federal judge has ordered the administration to give 14 days’ notice before any construction begins, as excavation work has already been announced.
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