The National Capital Planning Commission is expected to consider on July 9 whether a proposed 250-foot triumphal arch in Washington, D.C., violates the 1910 Height of Buildings Act, after the Trump administration argued the restriction does not apply to federal buildings. The Interior Department made the case in a memo, despite the commission historically ruling the law covers federal structures since 1938.
The concrete and granite arch, intended to commemorate America's 250th anniversary, would tower more than twice the height of the nearby Lincoln Memorial. The Commission of Fine Arts unanimously approved the design in April, though commission staff have since recommended design revisions to comply with height limits.
A coalition of veterans and a historian filed a federal lawsuit to block construction. The project, set at the Virginia end of Memorial Bridge, has drawn scrutiny because Harrison Design was selected without an open competition.