Washington, D.C.’s historic preservation officer has called on the Trump administration to consider an alternative location for the president’s planned 250-foot triumphal arch, expressing concerns that the proposed site near Arlington National Cemetery would be “divisive” and damaging to the area’s cultural landscape.
David Maloney, who has served as the city’s historic preservation officer since 2007, warned in a letter dated June 26 that the plan to build the arch in Memorial Circle—a traffic roundabout across the Potomac River from the Lincoln Memorial—would harm one of the nation’s most symbolically significant places. Instead, Maloney recommended relocating the structure to a vacant traffic oval on South Capitol Street, situated between Nationals Park and Audi Field.
Maloney argued that the South Capitol Street location would better complement the emerging neighborhood, providing an inviting focal point suitable for public celebrations. He suggested that positioning the arch near the stadiums could associate it with a “sports triumph” theme, while enhancing rather than detracting from the historic L’Enfant Plan and the city’s monumental core. His proposal follows a similar site suggestion from Rodney Miss Cook Jr., chair of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts and a Trump appointee.
The mayor’s office declined to comment on Maloney’s proposal, noting that while the historic preservation office operates with some independence, it does not necessarily speak for city leadership. In a subsequent email, Maloney clarified that his suggestion was not an endorsement of building the arch at South Capitol Street, nor did it represent the broader District government’s position.
President Donald Trump first announced plans last year to construct the arch commemorating the United States’ 250th anniversary, aiming to surpass the 164-foot Arc de Triomphe in Paris in size. He framed the project as a long-overdue enhancement to Washington’s cityscape. While the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts has approved the plan, the National Capital Planning Commission is set to review it on July 9. Officials have indicated an accelerated construction schedule, with potential year-round, 20-hour workdays intended to complete the monument before the end of Trump’s presidential term.
The project has faced opposition from historic preservationists and advocacy groups, who caution that the arch would alter Washington’s iconic skyline and historic sightlines. Additionally, some military veterans have filed a lawsuit, asserting that the structure would negatively impact the experience of visiting Arlington National Cemetery. A federal judge is currently considering the case.
Maloney has criticized the administration’s expedited review process, highlighting a limited 10-day window for public comment and the exclusion of outside historic preservation experts from the federally mandated Section 106 review, which assesses potential impacts on historic properties. Several preservation organizations, which have traditionally participated in such reviews, have initiated lawsuits challenging the administration’s approach.
In a June 15 letter to the National Park Service, Rebecca Miller, executive director of the DC Preservation League, described the process as intended to shield the project from meaningful public and expert evaluation rather than mitigate its likely effects on shared heritage.
Maloney also expressed doubts about the proposed Memorial Circle site’s accessibility and potential appeal, noting that it is somewhat detached from the city’s downtown core. He compared it unfavorably with memorial locations in other cities, such as Paris’s Arc de Triomphe and New York’s 9/11 Memorial, which are better integrated into their urban environments. According to Maloney, the Memorial Circle location “does not suggest a likelihood of success for a celebratory monument.”