US Architects Denounce Trump Arch After Heritage Review Ends
America's architects have come out against President Donald Trump's plan for a triumphal arch at Memorial Circle in Virginia.
The American Institute of Architects in Washington said in a letter that the arch should face full heritage scrutiny. The letter criticised a decision to drop that review, details of which were reported by ARTnews.
At the centre of the row is the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation in Washington, the federal body that advises on protection of historic sites. On 24 September, the Council decided to bypass Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, the federal rule that requires agencies to assess harm to historic places and consult on alternatives.
That decision ended the Council's involvement in the arch project. The Council has since terminated its Section 106 consultation process for the scheme, as reported by The Architect's Newspaper.
The architects' letter says that step removes rigorous oversight. It argues the arch, proposed for a sensitive memorial landscape, should not advance without the public consultation the law provides.
This is not the first clash. On 5 August 2025, the Institute issued a statement and a separate letter to the Committee for the Preservation of the White House in Washington. In those documents, published by the AIA, it condemned the demolition of the White House East Wing and called for transparent, rigorous oversight of changes to the building.
That process is now over. For readers new to the system, Section 106 does not itself block a project. It forces federal agencies to study effects, hear from preservationists and the public, and record any agreement to limit damage.
What makes this stand out for non-specialists is the scale of the objection. Architects rarely use this kind of language about a sitting president's building project. Here they have put their concern in writing, twice, and tied it to procedure rather than style.
