Trump aims to 'make D.C. beautiful again' with grand ‘Triumphal Arch’ plan
Chief of Protocol Monica Crowley joins ‘Fox & Friends Weekend’ to discuss President Donald Trump’s vision to restore beauty and classical design to Washington, D.C., including plans for a Triumphal Arch marking America’s 250th anniversary.
The fate of the President Donald Trump-touted 250-foot "Triumphal Arch" will be decided next week at a White House Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) meeting as the official proposed designs of the monument were filed by the Trump administration and released for the first time Friday.
"I am pleased to announce that TODAY my Administration officially filed the presentation and plans to the highly respected Commission of Fine Arts for what will be the GREATEST and MOST BEAUTIFUL Triumphal Arch, anywhere in the World," Trump said in Truth Social post. "This will be a wonderful addition to the Washington D.C. area for all Americans to enjoy for many decades to come!"
Speculation has swirled around the final look of the proposed arch since late last year, with many iterations making the rounds on social media before the official mock-ups were shared earlier today.
The mock-up, designed by architecture firm Harrison Design, is a 12-page addendum shared on the Commission of Fine Arts official meeting page.
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The phrase "ONE NATION UNDER GOD" emblazons the "Triumphal Arch" in this mock-up design from Harrison Design, as Principal Architect Nicolas Charbonneau is primarily renowned for his work on Catholic churches. The back of the arch has a matching emblem, saying "LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL." (Harrison Design via the White House Commission of Fine Arts)
According to those mock-ups, the arch rises to 250 feet, evoking the nation's 250th anniversary and more than double the height of the nearby 99-foot-tall Lincoln Memorial.
The central opening of the arch in the provided designs is roughly 110 feet high, providing a picture frame effect for both the Lincoln Memorial across the Potomac River and Arlington National Cemetery.
The arch's location would be roughly equidistant from both landmarks, sitting at the roundabout between Memorial Bridge and Memorial Avenue, near the Arlington Cemetery Metro Stop.
The scale would be unlike any monument in Washington, D.C., thus far, with the arch theoretically dwarfing nearby memorials and towering above the roadway.
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In this mock-up provided by Harrison Design using an overhead map from Google Earth, the scale and distance of the "Triumphal Arch" to nearby Washington, D.C., and Arlington, Va., monuments is clarified. (Harrison Design via the White House Commission of Fine Arts)
Friday's released designs reveal a golden, winged Lady Liberty-style figure atop the arch, flanked by two bald eagles crowning the monument and adding even more height to the structure. This is in contrast to previous possible designs Trump posted to social media in January, which had no ornamentation atop the arch.
The most iconic detail released in Friday's design, emblazoned across the top of the large central archway, are golden letters reading, "ONE NATION UNDER GOD" centered on its white stone facade.
Harrison Design confirmed to Fox News Digital that the principal architect behind the arch is Nicolas Charbonneau, the award-winning director of Harrison Design’s Sacred Architecture Studio. He is known primarily for his work on churches.
"The world is ordered so that there’s a harmony to everything," Charbonneau told the Arlington Catholic Herald. "And we’ve been designed to know that there should be an ordering to what we do. A lot of modern architecture flies in the face of that."
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In this scale rendering from Harrison Design, the golden, winged Lady Liberty figure atop the "Triumphal Arch" soars above the structure an additional 60 feet before counting the 24-foot-tall pedestal she adorns. (Harrison Design via the White House Commission of Fine Arts)
According to the mock-ups reviewed by Fox News Digital, there appear to be internal staircases within the arch's pedestals leading to what is implied to be a viewing deck for visitors to the monument. Four golden lions sit at each corner of the monument, renderings show.
The White House reiterated its goals for the monument in a statement they had previously shared with Fox News Digital earlier this year when asked for comment.
"The Triumphal Arch in Memorial Circle is going to be one of the most iconic landmarks not only in Washington, D.C., but throughout the world," White House spokesperson Davis Ingle reiterated in a statement to Fox News Digital.
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President Donald Trump holds a model of an arch while delivering remarks during a fundraising dinner for the new ballroom at the White House. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images, File)
"It will enhance the visitor experience at Arlington National Cemetery for veterans, the families of the fallen, and all Americans alike, serving as a visual reminder of the noble sacrifices borne by so many American heroes throughout our 250-year history so we can enjoy our freedoms today. President Trump will continue to honor our veterans and give the greatest Nation on earth — America — the glory it deserves."
Trump has previously touted the arch, saying he'd "like it to be the biggest one of all," adding, "We’re the biggest, most powerful nation."
The Commission of Fine Arts, founded in 1910, consists of members who are personally selected by the sitting president, and describes itself as "an independent federal agency charged with giving expert advice to the President, the Congress and the federal and District of Columbia governments on matters of design and aesthetics."
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The White House Commission of Fine Arts is scheduled to meet Thursday morning in D.C.
The entire packet of renderings of the arch can be viewed here.
Harrison Design did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment on the arch's design.
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