Trump wants to build a 250-foot-tall arch, dwarfing the Lincoln Memorial
Source: WaPo
The White House stands about 70 feet tall. The Lincoln Memorial, roughly 100 feet. The triumphal arch President Donald Trump wants to build would eclipse both if he gets his wish.
Trump has grown attached to the idea of a 250-foot-tall structure overlooking the Potomac River, according to two people who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe his comments, a scale that has alarmed some architectural experts who initially supported the idea of an arch but expected a far smaller one.
The planned Independence Arch is intended to commemorate America’s 250th anniversary. Built to Trump’s specifications, it would transform a small plot of land between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery into a dominant new monument, reshaping the relationship between the two memorials and obstructing pedestrians’ views.
Trump has considered smaller versions of the arch, including 165-foot-high and 123-foot-high designs he shared at a dinner last year. But he has favored the largest option, arguing that its sheer size would impress visitors to Washington, and that ‘250 for 250’ makes the most sense, the people said.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/01/31/trump-arch-memorial-circle/
New at @washingtonpost.com:
— Dan Diamond (@ddiamond.bsky.social) 2026-01-31T13:00:33.647Z
Trump wants to build a *250-ft-tall arch*, for America’s 250th anniversary
The structure would tower over nearby memorials — changing DC’s skyline and blocking views of the Lincoln Memorial
It’s also spooking experts who say it’s just too big
I spoke with the art critic, Catesby Leigh, who proposed original idea — a 60-ft temporary arch.
— Dan Diamond (@ddiamond.bsky.social) 2026-01-31T14:01:26.473Z
Trump has enlarged it and plans to make it permanent, alarming Leigh and others who say it threatens DC vista and history
@hannahdormido.bsky.social @timmeko.bsky.social show how views would change
Another visualization to show just how large the new Independence Arch would be, if Trump gets his way and installs it in a traffic circle between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery
— Dan Diamond (@ddiamond.bsky.social) 2026-01-31T14:13:23.709Z
with @hannahdormido.bsky.social @timmeko.bsky.social
= new reply since forum marked as read
... of the founding of the city. Completed in 1967, it took 2 and 1/2 years to build along the banks of the Mississippi River. It doesn't straddle the river though, it towers over the river and city and allows visitors to look eastward into Illinois and westward into Missouri for several miles each way. The Arch stands 630 feet high and 630 feet wide, and there are cable cars that go to the top observation chamber on certain days. The Gateway Arch has come to symbolize Saint Louis as the "Gateway to the West."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gateway_Arch
If Chump had any sense of history, he'd suggest something like the Gateway Arch as a symbol for our 250th anniversary, but it's too much to expect like that from him.
Stop defacing and destroying public property! He's going to claim billionaires are paying for this again.
Old Shit For Brains! This is our money for funding Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and a thousand other things that he has cut the funding for.
