The National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) is scheduled to hold a final vote on November 5 to approve a proposed 250-foot-tall triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery. The project, backed by President Donald Trump, includes plans for extensive nighttime illumination, which critics say will disrupt the long-standing visual solemnity of the cemetery and the surrounding national monuments.

The arch’s design calls for bright, white floodlights mounted on six poles around its base to highlight a 60-foot gilded winged statue atop the structure. Renderings submitted to the NCPC depict the monument glowing prominently at night, starkly contrasting with the traditionally dark and serene environment of Arlington National Cemetery, where individual graves remain unlit. The cemetery has historically maintained minimal lighting, preserving an atmosphere of quiet reflection and equality in death.

Experts and preservationists raise concerns that the arch’s illumination will dominate the nightly landscape of Washington, D.C., compromising established sight lines across Memorial Bridge and altering the city’s carefully curated skyline. The arch is expected to cast shadows over the cemetery and interrupt views linking national memorials that symbolize historical reconciliation, such as the connection between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington.

Washington’s monumental core follows a strict lighting hierarchy governed by the NCPC, with only a few key structures in the top tier receiving major illumination. Arlington Cemetery itself has remained notably dark, resisting urban light pollution to preserve its solemn character. A retired federal architect familiar with the site emphasized that the absence of artificial light enhances the dignity and serenity of the cemetery at night.

Musco Lighting, a firm known primarily for stadium and sports venue lighting, has been contracted to handle the arch’s illumination. Some lighting experts critique Musco’s approach as overly bright and lacking subtlety, raising concerns about environmental sensitivity. Advocates against light pollution also warn that the powerful floodlights could interfere with nearby air traffic, particularly given the arch’s proximity to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has classified the arch as an obstruction requiring conspicuous lighting to ensure aviation safety, further intensifying its brightness.

In addition to the aesthetic and environmental objections, the project has stirred controversy over its symbolic implications. After announcing the arch, Trump described the monument as a personal honor. He has also suggested that it could include military functions such as drone operations and munitions storage, which would add operational and visual complexity to the site.

The arch stands to overshadow other national tributes, including the eternal flame at President John F. Kennedy’s gravesite and, potentially, the Kennedy Center itself—both longstanding symbols within the capital’s memorial landscape. Critics argue that the monument’s scale, illumination, and placement signify an unprecedented assertion of personal branding on a site traditionally reserved for honoring military sacrifice.

With the NCPC poised to approve the project amid political loyalty to the President, and with limited avenues left for administrative review, the fate of the arch may ultimately rest with the courts. Regardless, the installation promises to reshape the nocturnal environment around Arlington and marks a notable departure from a century of carefully preserved monument lighting policies.