Overview
- The National Park Service published a 133-page report on Friday that acknowledges the proposed 250-foot arch would harm sightlines and the historic integrity of dozens of landmarks but concludes Memorial Circle is the historically appropriate site.
- The report details specific harms, including breaking the visual alignment between the Lincoln Memorial, Memorial Bridge and Arlington House and altering views of the Washington Monument, Jefferson Memorial and other key sites.
- The arch design has already received preliminary approval from the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts and the National Capital Area Planning Commission, and the National Capital Planning Commission is expected to take further action in early September.
- Three veterans and an architectural historian are suing to block the project and their lawyer says the Park Service report confirms the scale of harm and supports the argument that Congress should decide a project of this magnitude.
- The proposal is part of a package of administration changes to Washington’s landmarks, and the report leaves unresolved technical questions about traffic, aviation, materials and safety that could affect the timeline and final approvals.