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Updated on: July 9, 2026 / 3:55 PM EDT
/ CBS News
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President Trump's 250-foot proposed Triumphal Arch would require structural revisions to earn final approval, the National Planning Commission said Thursday. The proposed Memorial Circle monument has a 166-foot mezzanine and 24-foot observation level, with a 60-foot statue of Lady Liberty on top. This would violate the 1910 Heights of Buildings Act, which seeks to preserve the Washington, D.C. skyline by limiting buildings to 130 feet, according to the National Planning Commission. The Department of Interior argued the act "does not apply to federal buildings" in a June memo.The NCPC, however, said it "has historically held that the Height of Buildings Act is binding on federal buildings, and NCPC has consistently applied that position."The commission offered a compromise, suggesting the mezzanine and observation level be decreased to 130 feet and 20 feet, respectively. The remaining 40 feet could be added back to the statue. Under this proposal, Lady Liberty would be 100-feet tall, and the overall arch would still amass to 250 feet. If construction goes forward as proposed, the arch would dwarf the 99-foot Lincoln Memorial, which is across the bridge. It would also be roughly 30 feet taller than the Plaza de la República in Mexico City, currently the largest arch in the world. The arch has faced significant public criticism, which was on display as witnesses spoke for well over an hour at the meeting. A variety of reasons from public process to cultural presentation were cited, including passionate appeals about how the visual obstruction of Arlington Cemetery is offensive. "My concern is not with commemoration itself, but with this specific proposal, its location, its scale, and its impact on a historic memorial landscape," said Cynthia Morrison, a Gold Star mother. "The open space between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery is not just empty land. It is deliberately designed and historically significant memorial vista."
