Trump’s ‘Triumphal Arch’ designs feature the Golden Lady Liberty monument at the top
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The fate of President Donald Trump’s 250-meter “Triumphal Arch” will be decided next week at a meeting of the White House Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) as the proposed official designs of the monument were submitted by the Trump administration and released for the first time on Friday.
“I am pleased to announce that TODAY my administration has officially submitted plans and proposals to the esteemed Commission on the Arts for what will be the LARGEST Triumphal Arch, anywhere in the world,” Trump said in a Truth Social letter. “This will be a great addition to the Washington DC area for all Americans to enjoy for decades to come!”
Speculation has been swirling around the final look of the proposed arch since late last year, with multiple iterations on social media before the official tease earlier today.
The mock-up, designed by architecture firm Harrison Design, is a 12-page supplement shared on the Fine Arts Commission’s official forum page.
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The phrase “ONE NATION UNDER GOD” highlights the “Triumph Arch” in this mock-up design from Harrison Design, as Chief Designer Nicolas Charbonneau is primarily known for his work on Catholic churches. The back of the arch has the same image, which reads “LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.” (Harrison Design via White House Commission of Fine Arts)
According to those ironies, the arch rises 250 feet, evoking the nation’s 250th anniversary and more than twice the height of the nearby 99-foot-tall Memorial.
The central opening of the arch in the proposed designs is about 110 feet high, providing a frame effect for both the Lincoln Memorial across the Potomac River and Arlington National Cemetery.
The location of the arch will be approximately equal to both landmarks, sitting in the roundabout between Memorial Bridge and Memorial Avenue, near the Arlington Cemetery Metro Stop.
The scale will be unlike any monument in Washington, DC, so far, considering that the arch draws nearby monuments and is high above the street.
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In this mockup provided by Harrison Design using an overhead map from Google Earth, the scale and distance of the “Triumphal Arch” to nearby Washington, DC, and Arlington, Va., monuments are detailed. (Harrison Design via White House Commission of Fine Arts)
The designs released Friday feature a golden, winged statue of Lady Liberty atop an arch, flanked by two bald eagles crowning the monument and adding additional height to the structure. This is in contrast to previous designs that Trump may have posted on social media in January, which had no decorations on top.
The most striking detail released from Friday’s construction, painted on top of the main central walkway, are golden letters that read, “ONE NATION UNDER GOD” centered on its white stones.
Harrison Design confirmed to Fox News Digital that the main architect behind the arch is Nicolas Charbonneau, the award-winning director of Harrison Design’s Sacred Architecture Studio. He is best known for his work in churches.
“The world is commanded to be harmonious in everything,” Charbonneau told the Arlington Catholic Herald. “And we’re designed to know that there has to be order in what we do. A lot of modern architecture goes before that.”
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In this scale rendering from Harrison Design, the golden, winged statue of Lady Liberty atop the “Triumphal Arch” soars above the building an additional 60 feet before accounting for the 24-foot-tall plinth that adorns it. (Harrison Design via White House Commission of Fine Arts)
According to mockups reviewed by Fox News Digital, there appear to be internal stairs within the arch’s bases that lead to what is said to be the monument’s visitor viewing area. Four golden lions sit at each corner of the monument, the rendering shows.
The White House reiterated its intentions for the memorial in a statement it previously shared with Fox News Digital earlier this year when asked for comment.
“The Triumphal Arch in Memorial Circle will be one of the most recognizable landmarks not only in Washington, DC, but around the world,” White House spokesman Davis Ingle said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
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President Donald Trump holds a model of the arch while delivering remarks during a fundraising dinner for the new ballroom at the White House. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images, File)
“It will enhance the visitor experience at Arlington National Cemetery for veterans, families of the fallen, and all Americans alike, which will serve as a visible reminder of the great sacrifices made by so many of America’s heroes throughout our 250-year history so we can enjoy our freedom today. President Trump will continue to honor our veterans and give the greatest Nation on earth – America – the glory it deserves.”
Trump has praised the arch, saying he “would like it to be the biggest,” adding, “We are the biggest, most powerful nation.”
The Commission of Fine Arts, established in 1910, has members personally appointed by the sitting president, and describes itself as “an independent federal agency charged with providing expert advice to the President, Congress and state governments and the District of Columbia on matters of design and beauty.”
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The White House Commission on Fine Arts is scheduled to meet Thursday morning in DC
The entire arch translation package can be viewed here.
Harrison Design did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on the arch design.
