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Washington, D.C., Triumphal Arch
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This graphic compares the proposed Washington D.C. memorial arch's height to other landmarks, showing it would be taller than the Arc de Triomphe, Jefferson and Lincoln Memorials, and the MLK statue, but shorter than the Capitol dome and Washington Monument. Architectural rendering of a triumphal arch monument in Washington, DC, topped with a golden statue, with cars and people at its base. Protesters hold signs beside a mock white triumphal arch crossed out with a large red X; one sign reads Respect Our Fallen. A new skyline
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Washington, D.C., Triumphal Arch

Whether the proposed structure will be a “gateway” to the nation’s capital or an eyesore is hotly debated.
Written by
Tracy Grant
Tracy Grant is a senior editor at Encyclopaedia Britannica. She previously served as editor in chief, the first woman to hold that title. 
Tracy GrantAll
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Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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•History
This graphic compares the proposed Washington D.C. memorial arch's height to other landmarks, showing it would be taller than the Arc de Triomphe, Jefferson and Lincoln Memorials, and the MLK statue, but shorter than the Capitol dome and Washington Monument.
Size comparisonA look at how the proposed arch compares with Washington, D.C., landmarks and its Parisian cousin.
Top Questions

What is the proposed triumphal arch in Washington, D.C., meant to commemorate?

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What is the controversy regarding the proposed arch in Washington, D.C.?

What is the historical purpose of triumphal arches?

News •

Federal judge orders 14-day delay on any work beginning on Trump's monumental arch • Nov. 6, 2026, 1:38 AM ET (AP)
New plans for Trump's arch don't mention the 'military complex' he said it would host • Oct. 19, 2026, 1:00 PM ET (AP)

Washington, D.C., is a city of monuments, with structures honoring George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Jr., and many others. A 2025 proposal by U.S. Pres. Donald Trump to erect the world’s tallest triumphal arch in honor of the country’s 250th birthday between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery proved to be deeply controversial.

Details of the arch

The proposed triumphal arch in Memorial Circle, a traffic roundabout at the ceremonial entrance to the nation’s capital, is modeled on Paris’s Arc de Triomphe. It would stand 250 feet (76.2 meters) tall to represent the country’s anniversary and would be the third tallest structure on the National Mall, behind the Washington Monument and the dome of the U.S. Capitol. It would be almost 100 feet (30.5 meters) taller than the Paris arch and more than twice the height of the Lincoln Memorial.

The arch would be topped with eagles and a winged representation of the Statue of Liberty, with parts of it covered in gold. The phrases “One nation under God” and “Liberty and justice for all” would appear in gold lettering at the top of either side of the structure. There would be an observation deck to give visitors 360-degree views of Washington and Arlington.

Architectural rendering of a triumphal arch monument in Washington, DC, topped with a golden statue, with cars and people at its base.
Artist's renderingThe proposed triumphal arch would stand 250 feet (76.2 meters) tall between Arlington National Cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.

The issues

In 2025 architecture critic Catesby Leigh published an article noting that Washington was “the only major Western capital without a monumental arch.” Trump, who had been awed by the Arc de Triomphe during a 2017 state visit to Paris, seemed ready to rectify that oversight. Initially, the proposal was for a 76-foot (23.2-meter) arch—in honor of the 1776 signing of the Declaration of Independence—at a scale that was in keeping with Leigh’s call for a 60-foot (18.3-meter) arch in the Memorial Circle roundabout. But since that proposal the project has grown in scope and controversy. Among the concerns raised are:

  • Size: At 250 feet tall the arch would not only be taller than any other arch in a national capital; it would be, in Leigh’s view, “way too big for that site.”
  • Sight lines: A group of Vietnam War veterans has filed suit to stop construction of the arch because it would obscure views of the other monuments in Washington from the Arlington cemetery.
  • Oversight: Public Citizen, the watchdog group representing the veterans, is also arguing that congressional approval is needed to proceed.
  • Cost: The White House has not given a cost estimate for the project but has said that it would likely be paid for with a combination of public and private funds. The plan is to begin construction in the summer of 2026 so that the arch will be completed before Trump’s term ends in 2029.
Protesters hold signs beside a mock white triumphal arch crossed out with a large red X; one sign reads Respect Our Fallen.
Not a popular monumentProtesters hold signs and protest in Memorial Circle where the proposed arch would be built.

During a May 2026 public hearing of the Commission of Fine arts, a federal board whose role it is to approve monuments in the nation’s capital, the commission was told that more than 600 comments from the public on the arch. Commissioners were told that “99.5 percent” of them opposed the structure. The commission gave the arch the go-ahead. As for funding, Trump administration officials have said that because Congress in 1925 approved a structure on the plot of land where the proposed arch would be, there is no need to seek further congressional approval. In July 2026, the National Capital Planning Commission voted 8-1 to approve the project with some possible modifications at a meeting that featured three hours of public comment, almost all of it in opposition to the arch.

On September 3, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum announced that work on the arch would begin in the next two weeks. Later that month, Trump posted on social media that he planned to use the arch as a “military complex” that would “house, store, and have the rapid ability to use large numbers of drones, plus Snipers, on both the roof and plaza areas, and additionally have and hold large quantities of sniper ammunition in storage.” It was unclear how those plans would impact public access to the planned observatory. When Trump’s plans for a ballroom on the site of the former East Wing came under scrutiny, he said that it would be a secure facility needed for national defense.

On November 5, the planning commission gave final approval for the project, clearing the way for the potential immediate ground-breaking for the project. But an hour later, District Judge Tanya Chutkan blocked any work on the arch for two weeks in order to hear challenges to the legality of the arch. Suits to halt the arch’s construction have been filed by three Vietnam War veterans, a historic preservationist, the D.C. government and the Commonwealth of Virginia. The governments have said that building the arch would result in irreparable harm to their jurisdictions. As the hearings played out protesters stood vigil at Memorial Circle, where the arch would be built. Some held signs carrying signs reading “sacred ground” and “stop the arch.”

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A new skyline
A new skylineAerial view of Washington, D.C., showing where the proposed arch would be located in relation to the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials, the Washington Monument, the White House, and the Capitol building.

The history of triumphal arches

Triumphal arches are typically erected to honor an important person or to commemorate a significant event, and they are usually built to span either a street or roadway used for triumphal processions. They are associated with the Roman Empire, and in fact three arches from Roman antiquity have survived:

In more recent times, in addition to Paris’s arch (completed 1836), well-known arches include the Marble Arch in London (1833) and New York City’s Washington Square Arch (1895). Completed in 1938, the Monumento a la Revolución in Mexico City stands 220 feet (67.1 meters) tall. In 1941 German architect Albert Speer tested a site for a triumphal arch that was part of Adolf Hitler’s plans for Berlin, but it was determined that the marshy soil could not support such a structure. In 1982 North Korean Pres. Kim Il-Sung dedicated a triumphal arch in Pyongyang that is about 33 feet (10 meters) taller than the Arc de Triomphe.

Tracy Grant Kenny Chmielewski