The White House stands about 70 feet tall. The Lincoln Memorial, roughly 100 feet. The triumphal #arch Trump wants to build would eclipse both if he gets his wish.

#Trump has grown attached to the idea of a 250-foot-tall structure overlooking the Potomac River, acc/to 2 people who spoke anonymously to describe his comments, a scale that has alarmed some architectural experts who initially supported the idea of an arch but expected a far smaller one.

#narcissism #vanity #sociopath

The planned “Independence Arch”🙄 is intended to commemorate America’s 250th anniversary. Built to Trump’s specifications, it would transform a small plot of land between the Lincoln Memorial & Arlington National Cemetery into a dominant new monument, reshaping the relationship between the two memorials & obstructing pedestrians’ views.

#narcissism #vanity #sociopath #Trump

#Trump has considered smaller versions of the #arch, including 165-foot-high and 123-foot-high designs he shared at a dinner last year. But he has favored the largest option, arguing that its sheer size would impress visitors to Washington, & that “250 for 250”🙄 makes the most sense, the people said.

#narcissism #vanity #sociopath

#Trump told Politico in December that he hoped to begin construction of the arch within two months. Memorial Circle, the plot of land that the president has eyed, is controlled by the National Park Service.

“The one that people know mostly is the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France. And we’re gonna top it by, I think, a lot,” Trump said at a White House Christmas reception in December.

#arch #narcissism #vanity #sociopath

Local historians & architectural experts have said that a large #arch could change the relationship between several historic sites, including Memorial Bridge itself, which was intended as a bridge between North & South in the wake of the Civil War, & memorials for Lincoln & Confederate general Robert E. Lee.

“It’s a very somber corridor,” said John Haigh, the chair of Benedictine College’s architecture program….

#Trump #narcissism #vanity #sociopath

The structure as planned could obstruct views of Arlington House, the fmr Lee estate that sits on a hill in #ArlingtonNationalCemetery.

“I would be very concerned about the scale,” said Calder Loth, a retired Senior Architectural Historian for the Virginia Dept of #Historic Resources, warning that a 250' #arch would alter pedestrians’ views as they approach Arlington Cemetery from Washington. “It would make Arlington House just look like a dollhouse—or you couldn’t see it all…”

#Trump

Loth also invoked the vantage point from #ArlingtonNationalCemetery, where visitors often look across the river toward the Lincoln Memorial & the capital beyond — a view he said the proposed #arch would reshape.

“How does it impact the panorama of Washington?” Loth said, invoking a question that he said should guide designers of #monuments. “What is supposed to be doing the speaking?”

#Trump #arch #narcissism #vanity #sociopath