Trump Officials Sideline Local Historians In Arch Review

An independent federal council helmed by Trump appointees on Thursday abruptly cut off historic reviews with local governments for the president's planned 250-foot tall arch along the Potomac River.

The rarely used move comes after historians for the District of Columbia and Virginia refused to sign off on the National Park Service's attempt to finalize a plan mitigating the arch's expected harm to historic properties. The historians pressed to hold off on the plan until the project's impacts are better understood.

The monument, which would stand two-and-half times the height of the nearby Lincoln Memorial, would be a crowning achievement for President Donald Trump as he seeks to leave an architectural signature on the nation’s capital. But it has met resistance from historians and preservationists.

NPS, an agency within the Interior Department, has been rapidly reviewing the arch, as required by the National Historic Preservation Act. The process includes consultation with state governments about potential effects on historic sites and landscapes.

The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation on Thursday announced that it would terminate further consultation with D.C. and Virginia about the impacts the arch could have on a range of nearby historic sites, including Arlington National Cemetery, Robert E. Lee’s former home and other memorials on the National Mall.

The termination process itself is rare, and historic preservation experts said Thursday that it is especially unusual for the ACHP to intercede and cut off consultation, instead of the government agency — in this case, NPS — planning the project.

"This is the government saying, 'It's our way or the highway,'" said Charles Birnbaum, president and CEO of the Cultural Landscape Foundation. "'We know best, and we're going to build what we want.'"

The ACHP is an independent federal agency that advises presidents and Congress on implementing historic preservation law, and in some cases serves as an arbiter for contentious federal projects. The agency has been unusually political under the Trump administration. The president last year removed six members of the council appointed by former Democratic presidents before the end of their terms and replaced them with his own appointees.

Roger Kirchen, director of Virginia's Department of Historic Resources, said Thursday that the agency was "still assessing the situation and will be engaging the ACHP on next steps."

The D.C. State Historic Preservation Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Both local departments sent letters Monday to NPS calling the agency's effort to swiftly approve a mitigation plan for the proposed arch “premature.”

The letters were prompted last week by NPS official Tammy Stidham, who urged D.C., Virginia and other parties to consult on measures like placing vibration alert devices at historic properties during the arch’s construction.

Stidham, the associate regional director for lands and planning, said the NPS mitigation plan is needed to move forward swiftly in preparation for a fall meeting of the National Capital Planning Commission.

The commission, led by Trump appointees who have championed the arch, has grappled with staff concerns about the arch’s height and public comments decrying the project's negative impacts. A green light from the commission is needed for the administration to proceed with its plans for the arch.

Nonprofits also pushed back on NPS’ mitigation plan. The National Trust for Historic Preservation said in a letter Monday to NPS that the mitigation plan will have to be completely redone in the wake of Trump’s announcement that the arch will double as a military complex replete with ammunition storage and snipers.

The ACHP on Thursday asked the public to submit comments by midnight on Sept. 29 — a deadline less than one week away — about the arch and its effects on historic properties, and said it would provide its own comments to Interior by Oct. 7.

“Once the Secretary of the Interior considers and responds to the ACHP’s comments, the Section 106 review for this undertaking will be concluded,” the notice said.

In an assessment of the arch's effects, NPS previously identified dozens of historic properties that would be harmed by the structure because of blocked views, changed vistas and sightlines, and other impacts.

A veterans group and others have sued to block construction of the arch, which officials appear to be gearing up to begin later this fall. A federal judge in April ordered Interior to provide 14 days notice of any construction.

On Sept. 3, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum announced that over the next two weeks, the administration would begin “excavation work.” The move appeared to be a required archeological assessment, rather than breaking ground on construction, as first described by Burgum.