The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts approved designs for President Donald Trump’s proposed triumphal arch in Washington, D.C.
The monument would be built on Columbia Island at Memorial Circle on the Virginia side of the Potomac River, between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery.
The arch would rise 250 feet from its base to a torch-bearing figure resembling Lady Liberty at its top. Two gold-colored eagles would flank the statue. The phrases “One Nation Under God” and “Liberty and Justice for All” would be inscribed in gold lettering on either side of the monument. Plans also include a public observation deck offering views of the surrounding area and other monuments.
The updated design also eliminates four gold lions that had previously adorned the lower sides of the structure, as well as an 8-foot base featured in earlier renderings.
The Commission of Fine Arts, whose members were fully appointed by Trump, approved the proposal despite criticism from Democratic lawmakers and preservation advocates.
If built, the arch would tower above the 99-foot-tall Lincoln Memorial and stand nearly half as tall as the 555-foot Washington Monument.
Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum defended the proposal during a meeting last month with the Trump-appointed commission.
“President Trump believes that this year’s celebration of 250 years of American independence is the perfect moment to finally realize this long-standing, over-century-old vision for Columbia Island,” Burgum said.
Critics of the project have challenged the administration’s plan, arguing that Congress was needed to authorize such a monument.
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“Trump is spending your taxpayer dollars on vanity projects for himself instead of making lives better for working people,” Rep. Seth Magaziner (D-RI) wrote in a post on X Wednesday.
A group of Democratic lawmakers also sent a letter to the House Natural Resources Committee urging oversight of what they called the president’s “vanity projects,” arguing the “breathtaking scope” of the proposed changes to Washington landmarks demands congressional scrutiny.