President Donald Trump’s latest tactic to build some of his decorative projects was to pretend they were actually for the military. One report estimates that this strategy will have the opposite effect.
Write for AtlantisOn Saturday, Janay Kingsberry noted that since the project was announced last year, the administration has attempted to circumvent all existing regulations to build it quickly before it could be stopped by the judiciary, the legislature or a new president.
This week, Thursday, the vice chair of the Historic Preservation Advisory Council ended the Section 106 review process for the “Arc de Triomphe” project at Memorial Circle. Section 106 is supposed to require federal agencies to listen to the public before moving forward. That didn’t happen for Trump’s ark. Officials ended the review before negotiations even concluded and gave the public just three and a half business days to respond. Americans have until Tuesday, September 29 by 11:59 p.m. ET to email jloichinger@achp.gov with their thoughts for or against the ark.
A group of veterans fought against the arch, pointing out the many problems it poses, such as the massive height with a “viewing platform” that would allow tourists to watch funerals at Arlington National Cemetery. Others can’t stand how it takes the focus away from Arlington, which is supposed to honor American soldiers who sacrificed their lives for their country, and instead is about Trump.
“In objecting to the veterans’ lawsuit,” Kingsberry said, “the project’s lead agency, the National Park Service, said the arch did not need Congressional approval because a 1925 law had already authorized the installation of a pair of columns at that end of the Memorial Bridge, to symbolize the reconciliation of the North and South after the Civil War.”
Near Abraham Lincoln’s cottage in Washington are America’s first fallen soldiers, their headstones marking a sacred vow to keep America whole. Seeking more room for the dead, Northern troops occupied the estate of Mary Anna Custis Lee, wife of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. The Lincoln administration seized the land through a forced tax sale, a move the Supreme Court later ruled illegal. Yet the landowner ends up bowing to the grave; while thousands of American defenders were already resting eternally, the land was sold entirely to the government.
A single line of stone stretches across the Potomac River, weaving American history from the Lincoln Liberty Temple, through the Memorial Bridge, to the Arlington Hills. It’s where marble tombstones dot the green hills, forever linking a broken republic, from Washington, D.C., USA, to Virginia in the Confederacy.
Kingsberry questions whether a 25-story Trump monument is really plausible, given that Trump now describes it as a “military installation” where snipers will be stationed, drones supported and munitions stored. Firstly, it doesn’t make sense because there are no populated areas around it. There are no federal buildings to defend. It’s already less than a mile from the Pentagon, Fort Myer and less than two miles, as the crow flies, from the White House, where Trump claims to be building another “military center” that he can also use as a ballroom.
What is in the area, however, is the very restricted flight path of many planes that land at Washington’s closest airport, DCA. Already under the Trump administration, military missions near the airport resulted in the deaths of 67 people on a commercial flight when an Army helicopter crashed directly into it. Kingsberry thinks adding drones could make things even more dangerous.
Storing so much ammunition near publicly accessible monuments also creates its own problems, requiring strict military security mandates.
Experts, such as Patrick Suermann, a construction science professor at Texas A&M and retired Air Force officer, told Kingsberry that munitions storage normally requires “quantity-distance” protected areas, which are safety buffers intended to protect nearby people and structures in the event of an explosion.
If these rules apply, the public may not be able to safely approach the arch, although it is designed for tourists and includes a “cafe” and “gift shop.” The other problem is that Memorial Circle is a very busy area. There are six bridges that people use to enter and exit Washington to Virginia by road or rail. Following the requirements for a protected distancing zone could mean cutting off the Memorial Bridge altogether.
Recently, Trump fought with the architect of his ballroom, who was talking about building codes. The Washington Post reported that Trump yelled, “I’m code.” There appear to be many codes that Trump would be required to adhere to for his arch.
In short, the military pivot could give critics more reason to sue, force the administration to conduct new reviews, increase costs beyond the already estimated $100 million, and spark even greater opposition. Instead of speeding up construction, combining a gift shop with an armory could turn Trump’s arch into a legal, logistical and public relations disaster.
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