Trump administration ends historic review of DC triumphal arch amid public outcry

The Trump administration has discontinued the Section 106 historic-preservation review for its proposed 250-foot triumphal arch in Washington, DC, after receiving over 107,000 largely negative public comments. Travis Voyles, vice chairman of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, sent a letter stating that incorporating public concerns would require changes incompatible with President Donald Trump’s vision, prompting the end of the consultation process.

The National Park Service had previously acknowledged that the monument would have adverse effects on nearby historic sites, including views of Arlington National Cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial. The council will now draft its own set of recommendations, to be delivered to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum by October 7, but the secretary is not obligated to adopt them. Preservation groups such as The Cultural Landscape Foundation, whose founder Charles Birnbaum helped write the cultural-landscape guidelines, condemned the decision as dismissing public input. Legal challenges persist, with a lawsuit seeking to block construction and Congress yet to authorize funding for the project.