WASHINGTON — The Trump administration on Friday unveiled detailed architectural renderings for a proposed 250-foot triumphal arch in Washington, D.C., that President Donald Trump has described as a monument to the nation’s 250th anniversary of independence.
The designs, prepared by Harrison Design and filed with the Commission of Fine Arts by the Department of the Interior, show a structure approximately 166 feet tall at its main arch, topped with a 60-foot gilded winged figure of Lady Liberty holding a torch and shield, along with two 24-foot golden eagles on plinths. Inscriptions reading “One Nation Under God” and “Liberty and Justice for All” would appear in gold on opposite sides of the arch, according to documents released Friday and reported by Reuters, The Washington Post and NBC News.
The proposed arch would stand on a traffic circle near Arlington National Cemetery, across the Potomac River from the Lincoln Memorial and close to Arlington Memorial Bridge. Its interior passageway would measure about 55 feet wide. The full height of 250 feet would make it significantly taller than the Lincoln Memorial, roughly 100 feet tall, and taller than Paris’s Arc de Triomphe.
Trump confirmed the filing in a Truth Social post, stating the arch would be “the GREATEST and MOST BEAUTIFUL Triumphal Arch, anywhere in the World” and “a wonderful addition to the Washington D.C. area for all Americans to enjoy for many decades to come,” multiple outlets reported. The Commission of Fine Arts, which includes Trump appointees, is scheduled to review the proposal next week.
The project, first publicly discussed by Trump in 2025, is intended to commemorate the semiquincentennial of American independence in 2026. It has drawn criticism from some architects, preservationists and Democratic lawmakers over its scale, location near historic sites and potential impact on the National Mall area, though specific objections were not detailed in initial administration statements.
As of Saturday, the administration had not released cost estimates or a construction timeline. It remained unclear whether congressional approval or additional environmental and historic preservation reviews would be required beyond the Commission of Fine Arts process. The commission’s recommendations are advisory.
