Donald Trump says he will put drones and snipers on the Triumphal Arch that is about to begin construction in the US capital, amid howls of opposition.
The decision, revealed in a social media post, is his latest bid to justify a memorial that has attracted legal action and community concern on grounds ranging from aviation safety, to historical relevance, to good taste.
The president wrote: “At the strong request of the United States Military, and for National Security purposes, I have agreed to convert the magnificent Triumphal Arch … into a top grade Military Complex/Triumphal Arch.”
The building, whose published design shows only a massive gold-coloured statue, two eagles and an observation deck for tourists on the roof, would “house, store, and have the rapid ability to use large numbers of drones, plus snipers, on both the roof and plaza areas, and additionally have and hold large quantities of sniper ammunition in storage”, the president said.
It was unclear how this new purpose would mesh with the current plans for the 250-foot (76m) tall structure – days after the country’s aviation safety body ordered it must also have a “non-standard eternal flame” on the roof to serve as a warning to nearby planes making their descent into DC.
Anti-Trump lawyer Nicolas Sansone told the New York Times that Trump was “trying to paper over a patently unlawful project by giving it a veneer of national security justification”, as he has done with his White House ballroom.
What is the Triumphal Arch?
The stated aim of the arch is to “cultivate national pride and love of country” – though when he unveiled the plans in October and a reporter asked “who is it for”, Trump replied “Me“.
Earlier iterations of the design were smaller, but the latest public plans show an arch that would be the tallest of its kind in the world, twice the height of the nearby Lincoln Memorial.
It will be built of concrete and clad in granite, with gold-coloured decorations including a huge winged Liberty statue and two golden eagles on plinths on top. Most of the labelled internal areas are for office spaces and tourist areas, though there are also two service mezzanine levels not open to the public.
On the roof, a wide public observation deck accessed by stairs and an elevator wraps around the feet of the statue.
Why is it controversial?
The National Park Service was required to assess the impact of the arch on DC’s historical centre, and its report warned of “adverse impacts” on many famous buildings and locations.
The arch would stand across the river from the Lincoln Memorial, blocking views to Arlington CemeteryThe Lincoln Memorial, at the end of the National Mall, is directly across the river from Virginia’s Arlington House, the former home of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee that sits on the grounds of Arlington National Cemetery.
The original plan for DC was for this area to “physically and symbolically unite North and South through a coordinated monumental composition extending across the Potomac River”, the NPS report said.
Neil Flanagan, an architect and public historian, told NPR: “The Potomac River was the border between the North and South, nominally, during the Civil War; It’s literally crossing the border and trying to heal those wounds.”
But the 250-foot tall arch, twice the height of the Memorial, would significantly block the view of Arlington House from the Memorial, and vice versa.
The NPS report found “this balanced architectural relationship would be altered and the visual continuity would be obstructed”, with adverse effects to many other nearby historical and tourist sites.
An artist render of the planned Triumphal Arch in Washington DCPublic comments to the NPS were even more scathing. They feared the arch would “overwhelm” the Lincoln Memorial’s “visual prominence, historic setting, and restrained dignity”, and replace “quiet dignity with spectacle”.
They said the arch’s design “resembles European triumphal arches, imperial, or authoritarian monuments and is not rooted in American traditions”. By dominating views of, and from the cemetery it was “desecrating sacred ground, trivialising or commercialising a solemn burial landscape” and “a symbolic affront to veterans and their families”.
Others called it “too large, grotesque, oversized, tacky, garish, authoritarian, and stylistically at odds with the character of the civic setting”. Some disagreed, calling it “majestic and magnificent”.
Does it pose an aviation risk?
The National Park review of the project also fielded concerns about the danger posed by the arch to nearby aviation, including passenger planes coming in and out of DC’s airport, and military helicopters from the Pentagon and other nearby locations.
The arch will be just two miles from the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport’s main runway, and sit almost directly under its main flight path. The flight path is surrounded by prohibited airspace including a broad “no-fly zone” over the White House and Capitol.
Last year a US Army Black Hawk helicopter collided with an American Airlines regional jet that was coming in to land at the airport, killing all 67 people on board.
The National Transportation Safety Board’s chairwoman Jennifer Homendy subsequently called flight patterns over the US capital as posing an “intolerable risk” with regular close calls.
Last Friday the US Federal Aviation Administration ruled that the arch would not pose a “substantial” hazard to aircraft.
However the FAA gave its approval subject to several conditions, including that it have a “non-standard eternal flame” on top (in an unspecified location), as well has having at least three high-powered floodlights pointed at the top of the structure “to make it more conspicuous” to pilots of nearby aircraft.
Is it legal?
Democrats have said the arch violates three federal laws, including one that prohibits buildings more than 130 feet high in Washington.
A group of Vietnam War veterans, joined by an architectural historian, are suing the administration to stop its construction.
“It’s too gaudy with too much gold ornament on it, but that’s the style of the current administration,”said Calder Roth, one of the plaintiffs. Vietnam veterans Michael Lemmon, Shaun Byrnes and Jon Gundersen believe the structure would “dishonor their military and foreign service”.
The White House has said it will “follow all legal requirements” in constructing the arch.
Two weeks ago the Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum wrote on social media that excavation work would begin within a fortnight. He called it, without further explanation, a “Great Triumphal Arch and Military Observation Deck”.
Adding the military element may be a new tactic to avoid a legal quagmire. Last month the US Supreme Court allowed construction to continue on the ballroom that is replacing the demolished East Wing of the White House.
In a 5-4 decision, the court ruled that “mere offense, disagreement, or distaste” was not enough to oppose a government project, and accepted the White House’s argument that the planned military installation under the ballroom meant there would be “national security and other harms” from preventing the project going ahead.
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