Park Service report finds Trump arch would disturb dozens of historic sites

Agency still calls Memorial Circle ‘historically appropriate’ for arch

A National Park Service report released Friday backs President Donald Trump’s proposed 250-foot memorial arch, even as it documents the structure’s adverse effects on the sightline between a host of iconic Washington landmarks.

The report finds that the 250-foot-tall (76-meter) memorial arch is likely to disrupt the historical significance of dozens of sites near its planned location adjacent to Memorial Bridge. It will disturb the sightline between more iconic Washington landmarks than anticipated, the report said, naming the Washington Monument and the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials among those affected.

Washington’s monuments, buildings and sites have been carefully planned over decades to reflect significant moments in the nation’s history and to evoke symbolism through sightlines that connect them to other sites, according to the Park Service. The arch will disturb those connections, the report found.

Nevertheless, the agency concluded that the proposed Memorial Circle site is the historically appropriate location. “The same characteristics that make Memorial Circle sensitive from a preservation perspective are also the characteristics that make it the historically appropriate location for the undertaking,” the report said.