WASHINGTON — The Trump administration revealed designs for a new 250-foot triumphal arch just outside Washington, D.C., on Friday, as the US prepares for celebrations this summer to mark its 250th birthday.
The neoclassical monument will feature a winged Lady Liberty statue atop its stone structure and bear the golden inscription, “One Nation Under God,” echoing the concluding words from the Pledge of Allegiance.
Golden lions will also sit at its entrance facing east, along with two enormous gilded eagles on either side of Lady Liberty.
It resembles France’s historic Arc de Triomphe, which is 164 feet high, and would sit just across the Potomac River from the Lincoln Memorial, which is around 100 feet tall.
The site at Memorial Circle in Arlington, Va., is near the nation’s national cemetery for military veterans. The Custis family mansion, Arlington House, sits up the hill to the west of the circle.
Some vets have sued to stop construction of the project, arguing the arch — which President Trump has boasted will be “the biggest one of all” — could obstruct views of the graves of America’s fallen heroes.
Harrison Design, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment, filed the renderings with the US Interior Department and the Commission of Fine Arts on Friday.
Architect Nicolas Leo Charbonneau, a partner at Harrison Design, has been working on the project.
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“He’s an extremely talented classical architect,” a source familiar with the project previously told The Post. “His business is mainly in sacred architecture, but he’s truly a classical architect not just some guy who’s copying and pasting columns.”
Weeks before Trump took office in January 2025, architecture critic Catesby Leigh published an article calling for a Roman-style arch to mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the source noted.
The president has also been planning a mixed martial arts cage match featuring up to 25,000 spectators on the White House’s South Lawn to commemorate America250.
The proposal comes after a federal judge halted Trump’s $400 million project to build a grand ballroom next to the White House’s East Wing.
Construction has already started on the 90,000-square foot structure to house a 25,000-square foot gold-tinged room for state dinners and other events.
The Oval Office and other rooms have also been adorned in the White House with gold finishings, mirroring Trump’s pledge in his inaugural address that his second term would mark a “Golden Age” of America.
Trump has also placed new statues around the White House grounds and paved over the Rose Garden to make it easier to hold events there.
