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Comment on the Arch by the 15th

  • 1.  Comment on the Arch by the 15th

    Posted 06-11-2026 03:17 PM

    Triumphal Arch - Section 106 Assessment of Effect and Draft Programmatic Agreement


    The National Park Service (NPS) is developing a design for the construction of the Triumphal Arch (the Arch), within the George Washington Memorial Parkway in Washington, D.C. As a federal undertaking, this project is subject to Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended, and its implementing regulations (36 Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] Part 800) 'Protection of Historic Properties' (Section 106). This Assessment of Effects Report describes the project (the proposed undertaking) and analyzes potential adverse effects on historic properties, including archeological resources, within the project area.

    Click here to put in comments:

    https://parkplanning.nps.gov/document.cfm?documentID=151576



    ------------------------------
    Brittany Meyer
    The American Institute of Architects
    Washington DC
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  • 2.  RE: Comment on the Arch by the 15th

    Posted 06-15-2026 10:59 PM

    To reinforce what Brittany stated above if you get the chance you should write the NPS and make a statement on the impending Triumphal Arch!  I did so last night and you all have until midnight tonight to make your feelings known.  Here's the link:  

    https://parkplanning.nps.gov/document.cfm?parkID=186&projectID=136973&documentID=151576

    I did so as noted below:

    Your comments were successfully submitted at
    Jun 15, 2026 03:22 AM Mountain Time
       
    Park: George Washington Memorial Parkway
    Project: Triumphal Arch at Memorial Circle
    Document: Triumphal Arch - Section 106 Assessment of Effect and Draft Programmatic Agreement
       
    Name: Samuel D Combs, AIA, NCARB, Architect
    Address: 7480 Upper O'Malley Road
    City: Anchorage
    State: AK
    Postal Code: 99507
    Email Address: sam@combsandcombsaia.com
    Organization: Combs & Combs, AIA, Architecture, Interiors & Art
    Keep My Info Private: No
       
    Comments: This Arch has no place in Washington, DC, nor any other place in the United States. It is out-of-scale, out-of-place, and out-of-time just as the proposed ballroom at the site of the demolished East Wing of our White House. As the current president has stated many times this Arch is not for the 250th Anniversary of the United States, it is entirely to honor him (New York Times, April 15, 2026, https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/15/us/politics/trump-arch-dc.html?searchResultPosition=1

    Triumphal arches are relics of days past in which the glorifying of war and honoring those that died in this war or that war is long past its expiration date. My group of historic preservation architects has requested of the American Institute of Architects to submit an amicus brief in support of the watchdog group Public Citizen on behalf of the three (3) veterans in their lawsuit against the impending 250 tall arch. This is just as the AIA as my team of historic preservation architects requested has joined with the National Trust for Historic Preservation on the East Wing Demolition and the is out-of-scale, out-of-place, and out-of-time proposed ballroom. The same support for the Trust from the AIA per our team of historic preservation architects lobbying occurred to defend the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. This president intends to erect the arch near Lady Bird Johnson Park at Memorial Circle on the west end of Arlington Memorial Bridge by the Potomac River thereby interrupting the view of the Arlington National Cemetery (ANC). The arch will interrupt the significant relationship between the Lincoln Memorial and the ANC.

    The size of the "angel" on top of the arch at 68' high is ridiculous and has not been removed per the US Commission on Fine Arts recommendation. ANC is the nation's most sacred shrine. Spanning 639 acres, it serves as the final resting place for over 400,000 active-duty service members, veterans, and their families.

    The "East Wing Improvement Project?!" and the atrocious ballroom has grown from $400,000 donated by private donors for quid pro quo to over $1 billion dollars paid by we taxpayers. The Reflection Pool has grown from $1.5 million to the now estimated $20 million. The arch has been estimated at $100 million, but would most certainly exceed that low-ball figure.

    Meanwhile, we are paying exorbitant sums for gas, food, everything because the current president has a "Let them eat cake" attitude towards the citizens of this country.

    I urge the National Park Service not to advance this project and relegate this arch to the garbage bin of history where it belongs!

       
    Comment ID: 2699679-151576/84742
       


    ------------------------------
    Samuel Duff Combs, AIA, NCARB
    Combs & Combs, AIA, Architecture, Interiors, Art
    Architect/Owner
    Anchorage, AK
    sam@combsandcombsaia.com
    ------------------------------



  • 3.  RE: Comment on the Arch by the 15th

    Posted 06-16-2026 06:28 PM

    I was in DC this past weekend.

    aside from the fact that it was a total shitshow for Trump's birthday-

    The memorial circle location for the arch is only about 300 feet diameter. The arch would take up more that half that diameter. it is so inappropriately scaled. 

    The Arc de Triumph (162 feet high) is at Place Charles de Gaulle, which has a diameter of about 650 feet. 



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    Inda Sechzer AIA
    Kander Sechzer Architectural Partnership LLC
    Maplewood NJ
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  • 4.  RE: Comment on the Arch by the 15th

    Posted 06-16-2026 10:17 PM

    HI Sam, I wrote to them last week, keep em coming.  Thanks



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    Thomas Gray AIA

    Pittsburgh PA
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  • 5.  RE: Comment on the Arch by the 15th

    Posted 06-17-2026 05:47 PM

    I also submitted comments last week about the arch.

    For those in this group that are also concerned about "historic places" the National Trust is encouraging everyone to submit comments on Chaco Canyon in New Mexico. The Trump administration wants to open up adjacent private and public lands for oil and gas exploration by changing requirements previously put in place. The National Trust website should have a link. If you are a member of the Trust you should have received an email that allows you to submit the Trust's generated letter - with personal revisions if you desire - to both your Senators and to you Congressional Representative.

    As a former resident of New Mexico I understand the importance of this site to our Indigenous fellow Americans. Please submit your comments to the BLM if you have a chance.

    Thank you 

    Scott



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    D. Scott Cunningham, AIA Member Emeritus
    Ambler, Pennsylvania
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  • 6.  RE: Comment on the Arch by the 15th

    Posted 06-17-2026 06:37 PM

    Comments to NPS are over.

    What I would rather talk about is only with my colleagues.

    1. We need to commemorate and leave a stamp for future generations.
    2. We should not be selfish with opinions, especially regarding the destruction of historical landmarks, statues, etc.
    3. Each presidency should leave something to signify the historical moments. That is within his constitutional authorities.
    4. In this presidency, we are celebrating the 250th anniversary of our Declaration of Independence.

     

    My opinion of the ballroom is that it serves a valid function of the White House. We should not use non-governmental buildings for presidential functions. The design and style are not a matter of public discretion.  It has never been since the design of White House and the Capitol.

     

    The Arch was meant to commemorate the anniversary of our victory over tyranny, despotism, and totalitarianism, and I do not see anything wrong with it.  In Rome, Vittoriano Emmanuel II had a similar monument to commemorate a unified, patriotic Italy, along with the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

     

    I hope you find this constructive and rethink about our country as a whole united front.

    Best!

     

    Michael A. Gallagher AIA

    President

    Gardenia Victoria, llc

    2305 Sidney Ave

    Baltimore, MD 21230

    443.955.5533 tel

    667.205.1347 fax

     

     






  • 7.  RE: Comment on the Arch by the 15th

    Posted 06-18-2026 06:18 PM
    Edited by John Prokop, Assoc. AIA 06-18-2026 06:55 PM

    I have two issues with your note, Michael, with all due respect for your opinions.  

    1. A Ballroom might be a beneficial addition to the Whitehouse, but that discussion never happened, which is a huge part of the problem. There has been zero transparency about the programming and design of the project. That's a major problem when public facilities and public funding are being used. I've practiced in DC and performed some design work for the GSA and at numerous federal properties. All less important than the White House. The amount of professional vetting, design review, and accounting transparency was insane. There has been zero of that associated with this project.

    We learned, quite suddenly, that the Ballroom was "going to happen" the day that the East Wing was demolished. There were no discussions. No public input.  No Federal design review.  No design professional procurement process. No demolition permits were filed for. No hazardous material abatement was done pre-demolition. It is a federal building, owned by the people of the United States, and it is being demolished and redesigned by one person, who doesn't even own it. That's not how things in our country, to one of our most cherished national treasures, is supposed to happen. There are GOOD reasons for federal guidelines concerning selection of design professionals, evaluations of contractor proposals, and public transparency of these processes. There has been none of that.

    2. The arch might also be a valid memorial to build. We don't know.  There has been little public conversation. There need to be studies on options for its location. There have been none. The location chosen (by who? We do not know) totally ignores and has horrific impacts upon the carefully curated link between the John F. Kennedy Eternal Flame, the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument.  It is so large as to destroy the visual link between these existing monuments, as well as the dialogue that was created in 1912 between the Lincoln Memorial and Robert E. Lee's house. Its current size and siting dominates and belittles the solemnity of the entrance to the Nation's most sacred military cemetery. 

    Federal monuments typically are designed through a design competition. The Vietnam Memorial had 1400 submissions. The MLK Memorial had 900, and the WWI memorial had 350, the WWII memorial had over 400. There were national design competitions for them all. There was none for this arch.  WHY?  If I was to bet, I'd guess that it was designed by AI.  

    So, to summarize, there might be good reasons for a ballroom and an arch, but there are historic processes and a well-rehearsed series of events and a proper way to do them that are all being totally ignored. 

    I believe that is what so many in our profession are angry about.

    I also find it incredibly ironic that you use Vittoriano Emmanuel II as an example to follow.  

    He was a King.

    We have an elected president. 

    He unified a country. 

    We have a president that rules only in favor of his supporters and has done more damage to national unity than perhaps any who has ever held the office and labels anyone who doesn't support him and him alone as traitors. 


    ------------------------------
    John Prokop Assoc. AIA
    Rowe Architects
    Tampa FL
    ------------------------------



  • 8.  RE: Comment on the Arch by the 15th

    Posted 06-19-2026 03:15 PM

    John- I wrote to Michael also, I chose to send mine only to him.  But you did a much better job and I agree with you.  DJT has used up all his "rights" to be the president who builds an arch judging by all his dreadful decisions on East Wing EEOB, reflecting pool, JFKCCA. fight ring for thugs, destruction of rose garden, etc. Not to mention all the $$$ wasted.



    ------------------------------
    Thomas Gray AIA

    Pittsburgh PA
    ------------------------------



  • 9.  RE: Comment on the Arch by the 15th

    Posted 06-19-2026 05:02 PM

     

    Thomas Gray,

    I am a very preservation-minded architect. I get the impression that you even want to preserve the architecture that destroyed the creative architecture and, ironically, the decorated boxes. If I am wrong, correct me. I attribute great architecture in our society to Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc and his discourses today.

     

    You misunderstood me about the current administration. Constitutionally, we are a republic nation. This means we gather to elect our president by electoral majority, with limited powers, for a 4-year term.  However, within his administration, which oversees all the departments. The Congress approved these departments and fund allocations. It is always the president's discretion to set up procedures and policies under the sole authority bestowed upon the president as of January 20 for each term. I am not in favor of any president, and in fact, I abhor all of them.

     

    What about us? We did nothing to suggest improvements to our federal grounds except to criticize, complain, and attack. I am not into that. What I see and understand is a de facto situation imposed on us by the Napoleonic decision-maker. And our reactions to his discretionary actions throughout the administration have no effect on the desirable outcomes. Why have we not become "Baron Hausmann" or "Albert Speer" to maintain high-quality changes to the city?  Instead, we think that the bureaucratic approach should dictate what the president can and cannot do. In his second term, he reacted to what happened to him by targeting him during his first term and during the past administration, especially near-death incidents. Do you honestly think he would comply with these groups that have restrained him for so long until he leaves office?  Obviously, his reaction is to stamp out the stagnation and fraud across the board, including our valued architectural community. This is very old, and we all know that, and we continue to do what we are doing that produces no results.

     

    I do wish we had the competition on the Arch that truly reflects our liberty, our original states, and our current states.  The Romans created an arch with carefully thought-out elements that reflected their time. Conquest, reliefs of battles, and an authentic Roman arch built to last for centuries in solid stone masonry without mortar and other structural elements.  The arch reflects nothing of our heritage and culture, and will not last long after the civilization. It should not be an arch.

     

    The reflecting pool was in need of repair and was long overdue. This attempt is well-intentioned and yields some positive results. We all know that antagonists want to see it fail and propagate the failure.  We, architects, know that corrections are made until the project is completed. The algae is rumored to be planted, and I believe that because it does not occur naturally. It's a gradual process of reproducing the spores. The Basin has no algae but does have beavers.  It's natural for nature to resume our built environments.

     

    I always appreciate the comments and feedback. By the way, I am a deaf architect whose first language isn't English. I hope you can overlook my rambling and lack of cohesion. I use AI to correct my English, so blame it on AI. <grin>

     

    Michael A. Gallagher AIA

    President

    Gardenia Victoria, llc

    2305 Sidney Ave

    Baltimore, MD 21230

    443.955.5533 tel

    410.800.8612 Cell

     






  • 10.  RE: Comment on the Arch by the 15th

    Posted 06-20-2026 03:14 AM

    Mr. Gallagher:

    You have presented a reasoned point of view.  However, prepare yourself for the pure unadulterated TDS that has already started being flung your way.  Having received my share of it on the subject of any initiative by President Trump, just wanted to give you fair warning...

    Sincerely;

    Allen Kenna Stewart, AIA, LEED AP

    MARTA (Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority)

    Atlanta, GA 30324



    ------------------------------
    Allen Kenna Stewart, AIA
    Architect VI
    MARTA
    Atlanta, GA
    ------------------------------



  • 11.  RE: Comment on the Arch by the 15th

    Posted 06-23-2026 01:57 AM

    "[algae] does not occur naturally." Light + water = algae.

    "[Trump's] reaction is to stamp out the stagnation and fraud across the board..." Trump + power = lies, fraud & corruption.

    Both of these equations are readily apparent, if you care to look. 



    ------------------------------
    P. David Marshall AIA
    Heritage Architecture & Planning
    San Diego, CA
    ------------------------------



  • 12.  RE: Comment on the Arch by the 15th

    Posted 06-23-2026 09:56 AM

    Paul,

    I like your simplistic logic:

    "[algae] does not occur naturally." Light + water = algae.

    I have been a scientist all along. You forgot to add spores. Without the essence of life, life cannot procreate. Also, you forgot to add heat.

    Anyway, it takes about 3-4 weeks for nature to propagate naturally. Humans are the only creatures that can alter nature.

    "[Trump's] reaction is to stamp out the stagnation and fraud across the board..." Trump + power = lies, fraud & corruption.

    I do not disagree with you at all. In fact, all people who run the offices are "not required to follow the laws". Some do it differently. I wish you had read "Spirit of Laws" by Charles Louis de Secondat, baron de La Brède et de Montesquieu[

    Separation of powers at the federal level and between the states and the federal does minimize the abuse of powers across the board. I knew Trump was horrible when I was doing projects in Atlantic City. Also, the media plays a full role in manipulating people by the oligarchy. Not all the information is true, and some of it is very true. Elon Musk, a trillionaire, was aghast by the corruption while running DOGE, and had to leave. I am glad that we have terms and elections. We the People need to show respect and act civilly. We can modify, improve, or destroy our government. As Ben Franklin said, "You have a Republic, if you can keep it."

    Let's be civilized and vote. In the meantime, we as Architects should create a separate power in our government to control the government projects and buildings, just like the Guild during the Renaissance era. 



    ------------------------------
    Michael Gallagher AIA
    Gardenia Victoria, LLC
    Baltimore MD
    ------------------------------



  • 13.  RE: Comment on the Arch by the 15th

    Posted 06-23-2026 05:12 PM

    Good evening and Happy Father's day to all those proud and working dad's out there.

    I have been following this thread, and I think there are valid architectural and preservation concerns being raised.

    Public monuments and federal buildings deserve real scrutiny. Scale matters. Site matters. Process matters. Public transparency matters. If a project affects the National Mall, Arlington National Cemetery, the White House, or any significant civic landscape, architects should absolutely be part of that conversation.

    Where I struggle is when the discussion shifts from professional critique into political contempt, labels, or personal judgment. That weakens the argument for me, regardless of which direction it comes from.

    The strongest concern here is not simply whether someone likes or dislikes a particular administration, arch, ballroom, or public project. The stronger concern is whether the normal processes for public architecture, historic preservation, design review, professional vetting, public input, and accountability are being respected.

    That is where architects have credibility.

    I do not come to an AIA forum looking for another version of Facebook. I come here to learn from other professionals and understand how architects are thinking about public work, preservation, ethics, civic memory, and stewardship. Emerging professionals and i would interns are all reading these conversations, and the way we talk to each other matters.

    Architecture is not separate from politics, especially when public space and national memory are involved. But that is exactly why our language should stay disciplined.

    If the project is wrong, make the case through scale, siting, precedent, public process, historic impact, cost, public trust, and stewardship.

    That argument is strong enough on its own.



    ------------------------------
    Clayton Cowell | AIA | NCARB
    Principal Architect | Owner
    COWBELL DESIGNS
    Kansas City, Missouri
    ------------------------------



  • 14.  RE: Comment on the Arch by the 15th

    Posted 06-24-2026 05:36 PM

    Thank you, Clayton.  Those are my sentiments exactly.



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    Stephen Kelley FAIA Member Emeritus, SE, FAPT, FUSICOMOS
    SJK LLC
    Oak Park IL
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  • 15.  RE: Comment on the Arch by the 15th

    Posted 06-24-2026 09:42 PM


    Good evening and Happy Father's day to all those proud and working dad's out there.

    I have been following this thread, and I think there are valid architectural and preservation concerns being raised.

    Public monuments and federal buildings deserve real scrutiny. Scale matters. Site matters. Process matters. Public transparency matters. If a project affects the National Mall, Arlington National Cemetery, the White House, or any significant civic landscape, architects should absolutely be part of that conversation.

    Where I struggle is when the discussion shifts from professional critique into political contempt, labels, or personal judgment. That weakens the argument for me, regardless of which direction it comes from.

    The strongest concern here is not simply whether someone likes or dislikes a particular administration, arch, ballroom, or public project. The stronger concern is whether the normal processes for public architecture, historic preservation, design review, professional vetting, public input, and accountability are being respected.  THEY ARE NOT, OBVIOUSLY

    That is where architects have credibility.

    I do not come to an AIA forum looking for another version of Facebook. I come here to learn from other professionals and understand how architects are thinking about public work, preservation, ethics, civic memory, and stewardship. Emerging professionals and i would interns are all reading these conversations, and the way we talk to each other matters.  I NEVER USED THE FORUM UNTIL I LEARNED ABOUT THE EAST WING BEING DEMOLISHED AND I WANTED URGENTLY TO SEE WHERE MY COLLEAGUES STOOD.

    Architecture is not separate from politics, especially when public space and national memory are involved. But that is exactly why our language should stay disciplined.  AGREED

    If the project is wrong, make the case through scale, siting, precedent, public process, historic impact, cost, public trust, and stewardship.  I THINK WE ARE DOING THAT, AT A FREQUENCY NEVER BEFORE IMAGINED AND ITS ONLY DUE TO A CERTAIN PERSON BREAKING EVERY RULE IMAGINABLE.  SO AN OCCASIONAL MENTION OF THAT SOURCE MIGHT JUST COME UP OCCASIONALLY

    That argument is strong enough on its own.  HOPEFULLY BUT THE GOAL POSTS KEEP MOVING.

    RESPECTFULLY, TG



    ------------------------------
    Clayton Cowell | AIA | NCARB
    Principal Architect | Owner
    COWBELL DESIGNS
    Kansas City, Missouri
    ------------------------------



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    Thomas Gray AIA

    Pittsburgh PA
    ------------------------------