250 years of independence is a pretty good triumph.
I am wondering what triumph we are celebrating. Shown here the proposed arch follows the style of the largest of several arches built by the Emperor Napoleon in 1806 to glorify the French Grand Army, and commemorate Revolutionary and Imperial military victories.
The problem is international relations and diplomacy have changed a lot in 220 years. We now have friendly relations with every country we have fought a war against—England, Germany, Japan, Mexico. Hopefully our elected governments will continue this pattern. Do we really want to stir up hostility in these relationships at this point of time. Now we have problems with former allies like Iran, and China with whom we have had no significant wars or triumphs. I don’t think the kind of arch planned will improve our international relations.
A separate problem is the DC height laws. I don’t know how high the DC Arch is planned to be, but the Arc de Triomphe is over 160 feet high. Here are the height rules for DC.
Key Building Height Regulations:
—Commercial Streets: Maximum 130 feet (approx. 12 stories).
—Residential Streets: Maximum 90 feet.
—Pennsylvania Avenue, NW: Maximum 160 feet.
—Calculation Method: The height is generally based on the street width plus 20 feet.
—Authority: These restrictions are mandated by Congress and implemented through the District of Columbia’s Zoning Regulations and National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC).
These regulations create a low, horizontal skyline, preventing skyscrapers and ensuring that buildings do not overpower national monuments. Building triumphal monuments is great for Emperors, but for Presidents?