United States Secretary of the Interior, Doug Burgum, announced this Thursday that “during the next two weeks” the excavation work necessary for the construction of the enormous triumphal arch planned in Washington for the country’s 250th anniversary will begin. It is one of President Donald Trump’s flagship projects, which is transforming the landscape of the U.S. capital with his characteristic touch of golden accents.
Read more The long holidays of the 26
This gold-adorned monument will measure 250 feet tall (76.2 meters), in honor of the country’s 250th anniversary. It will be located at Memorial Circle, a roundabout situated between the Abraham Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery. Inspired by the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, this will be about 26 meters taller and twice the size of the Lincoln Memorial, one of the most visited places in the U.S. capital. According to the render published by the White House, this enormous white arch will be crowned by two golden eagles and a winged figure with a crown, similar to the Statue of Liberty in New York.
Also read
The announcement comes just three days after the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Trump Administration in the president’s other major project, the ballroom he is building where the east wing of the White House stood a year ago. In a 5-4 decision, the conservative majority determined that the president could, for now, continue with the construction, since the conservation groups that challenged the project did not have the legal standing to file the lawsuit.
Like the ballroom, this project is also likely to face legal challenges, although smaller ones, because building it will not require demolishing a significant part of a historic building like the White House. The Commission of Fine Arts, a federal agency made up of Trump allies, approved the plan in early May.
Read more Lindsay Clancy’s lawyer accuses a jury of deadlocking the verdict and asks the judge to remove them
So far, several historic conservation groups, as well as Democratic lawmakers, have opposed the project, arguing that it is a disproportionate structure that distorts the architectural landscape of the capital. It has already received a lawsuit filed by several veterans, who believe the triumphal arch will alter their experience when visiting the cemetery.
The White House has already asked the courts to dismiss this lawsuit based on the recent Supreme Court ruling on the ballroom. In the case of the ballroom, inspired by the one Trump has at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida, the administration’s legal strategy has been to advance the construction as quickly as possible (they claim it is already 65% built) before the slow justice system can act. The same will be done with the triumphal arch, where construction will begin in the coming weeks without first closing the legal challenges.
“This will be one of the Great Works of American Architecture, honoring the history and importance of Arlington Cemetery and befitting the most powerful Capital in the World,” celebrated Secretary of the Interior Burgum in his announcement via the social network X.
Read more Antioxidants help cancer protect itself from the immune system
