Whatever you think of the politics, Washington aesthetically is a beautiful city. Flying into Reagan Airport on a clear day or even better, a clear evening and seeing the Lincoln Memorial, Arlington Cemetery, the Jefferson Memorial, the Washington Monument stretching down past the beautifully manicured lawns of the mall to the United States Capitol is breathtaking, inspiring.
It won’t be if Trump gets his way and puts up a big gaudy 250 foot monumental arch on the Virginia side of the Potomac River in front of Arlington Cemetery. It’s offensive in size and design. It blocks the Lincoln Monument’s sweeping view of the majestic Arlington Cemetery, the resting place for so many courageous Americans. This is opposed by many architects, even the original proponent of an arch and veterans groups offended that it will diminish the sacred grounds of Arlington.
My wife whose television station is across the Potomac in Virginia has driven across the Memorial Bridge with that awesome setting thousands of times. I somehow don’t think she’s looking for an arch. Trump has said that the monumental arch again 250 feet is for him. Okay, fine. Build it in Mar-a-Lago where it’ll fit in.
Surely he realizes that it will be torn down if he builds his Arch there. He should build it next to his Presidential Library--an appropriate waste of money given under dubious circumstances for him to flatter himself.
He has no right to build it!