By Third Actor Susan Douglas.
The National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) held its second hearing today about the Triumphal Arch. Dozens were present to provide testimony, and I was one of them. Hundreds of others sent in written comments.
Those who provided written or in-person testimony today and in June had no words of support for the Arch. None. The comments were impassioned, powerful, honest, factual, beautifully expressed and sometimes wrenching. Historians, architects, veterans, survivors, activists, environmentalists and local residents all made clear to the Commissioners that the people simply do not want this Arch.
We spoke of the need, as stated in the Constitution, for Congressional approval for the project. It’s still missing.
There is a bill in Congress to stop the Arch, and a lawsuit brought by Public Citizen on behalf of some Veterans is making its way through the courts. The FAA must also complete a full aeronautical review which could take months. Why, then, we asked, are we rushing to give this project a green light?
We addressed the harm the Arch will do to the historical viewshed between Arlington National Cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial. The uninterrupted view from the Cemetery across Memorial Bridge to the Lincoln Memorial represents the reunification of the North and South following the Civil War. This is our history, and we do not want it re-written.
Service members, Veterans, and family spoke of the hallowed, quiet space where so many soldiers have been laid to rest. They spoke of the solace this space gives them. The 250-ft Triumphal Arch would reduce this sacred space to a loud, busy, commercial tourist attraction complete with a gift shop. This will be no place to honor the fallen. Building the Arch at Memorial Circle will be a slap in the face for those who have served and fought for our country.
Concern about traffic woes at Memorial Circle during and after construction were voiced, as were concerns about the huge crowds and concomitant noise pollution the Arch will bring to what was intended to be a serene space.
There are approximately 30 funerals each weekday at Arlington National Cemetery, and the noise from the construction – expected to last about three years – will interrupt those solemn affairs. And once the construction is concluded, the Arch will be a tourist destination, with busloads of visitors streaming in all day long, disrupting the contemplative nature of the Cemetery. In response to these concerns, Commissioner Scharf asked the architects to provide a plan for construction-noise mitigation. My plan is so simple: don’t build the Arch.
In testimony, it was pointed out that the laws governing the building of monuments on federal land simply aren’t being followed for this project (Height of Buildings Act, Section 106, NEPA…) in the rush to rubber stamp this vanity Arch.
The National Park Service (NPS) finally opened a public comment period in June, as required, but for only 10 days, far too short a time to solicit the requisite feedback and input. Projects of this magnitude generally take years to unfold, and public input is solicited for months, not days. In those brief 10 days, however, NPS received 100,936 comments and the submissions are overwhelmingly against the Arch.
Similarly, the Commission on Fine Arts (CFA), which approved the Arch design earlier this year, received nearly 2,000 public comments at its two meetings and 99.8% were opposed.
All told, the public has been provided comment opportunities at the CFA, NCPC and the NPS, both in-person (CFA and NCPC) and in writing (all three agencies.) It is clear from reviewing these comments that there is virtually no public support for the Arch.
Trump, however, wants this Arch. He has admitted he wants it for himself. And that it must be 250 feet tall. (That’s so he can pretend the Arch will honor the nation’s 250th birthday…) He wants it decorated with gold, lots of gold. It will have a gift shop, an observation deck, elevators, and a ticket sales counter. It will draw tens of thousands of admirers daily.
Trump wants and needs that admiration, and he has put enough sycophants in place at NCPC and the CFA and other agencies to make sure he gets it. Congress be damned – Trump thinks he can bypass them by relying on an outdated 1925 Congressional authorization for two pillars which were never built in Memorial Circle and which are not similar to the Arch in size, scope, or design. The hubris here is simply breathtaking.
Only NCPC Commissioner Cash has had the moral courage and integrity to push back against this monstrosity. He voted no in June, and he voted no again today, giving lengthy remarks to his fellow commissioners explaining his concerns.
Many of us will be back at NCPC in September for what is expected to be the final meeting when NCPC is expected to approve this monstrosity and thereby deliver a stunning insult to the American people.
In September, I will return to NCPC to once again provide testimony. I will repeat my closing remarks from today:
The Preamble to the Constitution begins with three iconic words: “We the People.”
Those all-important words symbolize the foundation of American democracy and the power of its citizens to govern themselves. I urge the Commission to listen to and respect the wishes of the people, and to acknowledge that Congress has the final word in this matter.
Those who provided written or in-person testimony today and in June had no words of support for the Arch. None. The comments were impassioned, powerful, honest, factual, beautifully expressed and sometimes wrenching. Historians, architects, veterans, survivors, activists, environmentalists and local residents all made clear to the Commissioners that the people simply do not want this Arch.
We spoke of the need, as stated in the Constitution, for Congressional approval for the project. It’s still missing.
There is a bill in Congress to stop the Arch, and a lawsuit brought by Public Citizen on behalf of some Veterans is making its way through the courts. The FAA must also complete a full aeronautical review which could take months. Why, then, we asked, are we rushing to give this project a green light?
We addressed the harm the Arch will do to the historical viewshed between Arlington National Cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial. The uninterrupted view from the Cemetery across Memorial Bridge to the Lincoln Memorial represents the reunification of the North and South following the Civil War. This is our history, and we do not want it re-written.
Service members, Veterans, and family spoke of the hallowed, quiet space where so many soldiers have been laid to rest. They spoke of the solace this space gives them. The 250-ft Triumphal Arch would reduce this sacred space to a loud, busy, commercial tourist attraction complete with a gift shop. This will be no place to honor the fallen. Building the Arch at Memorial Circle will be a slap in the face for those who have served and fought for our country.
Concern about traffic woes at Memorial Circle during and after construction were voiced, as were concerns about the huge crowds and concomitant noise pollution the Arch will bring to what was intended to be a serene space.
There are approximately 30 funerals each weekday at Arlington National Cemetery, and the noise from the construction – expected to last about three years – will interrupt those solemn affairs. And once the construction is concluded, the Arch will be a tourist destination, with busloads of visitors streaming in all day long, disrupting the contemplative nature of the Cemetery. In response to these concerns, Commissioner Scharf asked the architects to provide a plan for construction-noise mitigation. My plan is so simple: don’t build the Arch.
In testimony, it was pointed out that the laws governing the building of monuments on federal land simply aren’t being followed for this project (Height of Buildings Act, Section 106, NEPA…) in the rush to rubber stamp this vanity Arch.
The National Park Service (NPS) finally opened a public comment period in June, as required, but for only 10 days, far too short a time to solicit the requisite feedback and input. Projects of this magnitude generally take years to unfold, and public input is solicited for months, not days. In those brief 10 days, however, NPS received 100,936 comments and the submissions are overwhelmingly against the Arch.
Similarly, the Commission on Fine Arts (CFA), which approved the Arch design earlier this year, received nearly 2,000 public comments at its two meetings and 99.8% were opposed.
All told, the public has been provided comment opportunities at the CFA, NCPC and the NPS, both in-person (CFA and NCPC) and in writing (all three agencies.) It is clear from reviewing these comments that there is virtually no public support for the Arch.
Trump, however, wants this Arch. He has admitted he wants it for himself. And that it must be 250 feet tall. (That’s so he can pretend the Arch will honor the nation’s 250th birthday…) He wants it decorated with gold, lots of gold. It will have a gift shop, an observation deck, elevators, and a ticket sales counter. It will draw tens of thousands of admirers daily.
Trump wants and needs that admiration, and he has put enough sycophants in place at NCPC and the CFA and other agencies to make sure he gets it. Congress be damned – Trump thinks he can bypass them by relying on an outdated 1925 Congressional authorization for two pillars which were never built in Memorial Circle and which are not similar to the Arch in size, scope, or design. The hubris here is simply breathtaking.
Only NCPC Commissioner Cash has had the moral courage and integrity to push back against this monstrosity. He voted no in June, and he voted no again today, giving lengthy remarks to his fellow commissioners explaining his concerns.
Many of us will be back at NCPC in September for what is expected to be the final meeting when NCPC is expected to approve this monstrosity and thereby deliver a stunning insult to the American people.
In September, I will return to NCPC to once again provide testimony. I will repeat my closing remarks from today:
The Preamble to the Constitution begins with three iconic words: “We the People.”
Those all-important words symbolize the foundation of American democracy and the power of its citizens to govern themselves. I urge the Commission to listen to and respect the wishes of the people, and to acknowledge that Congress has the final word in this matter.
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