For American artists and architects, the structures embody the virtues and vulnerabilities of the republic. The president’s proposal breaks the pattern.

"Psychologically and culturally, it reads to me as nostalgia weaponized into branding," noted one architect.

President Donald Trump's plan to build a triumphal arch in Washington is getting another look from a federal agency that suggested changes before it approved the concept last month

The arch would soar 250 feet (76 meters) from its base to a torch held aloft by a Lady Liberty-like figure atop the structure

At a height of 250 feet, the arch would dwarf the Lincoln Memorial and be close to half the height of the Washington Monument, an obelisk that is about 555 feet tall.

For American artists and architects, the structures embody the virtues and vulnerabilities of the republic. The president’s proposal breaks the pattern.

The Commission of Fine Arts approved the proposal despite criticism from Democratic lawmakers and preservation advocates.

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