Whatever you think about the president’s proposed memorial arch, it is nowhere clear this is the best location. On the contrary, putting it at Memorial Circle would interfere with the brilliant historic designs for the National Mall, including L’Enfant’s inspired initial plan, that give our capital the visual and symbolic power revered by Americans and foreign visitors alike, what we know as the stage for American democracy.
This is a wake-up call. We need a comprehensive plan for the Mall’s 3rd century to succeed the McMillan Commission’s plan of 120 years ago. That plan also was a dramatic contribution to the Mall’s evolution. Without an updated plan for thoughtful, meaningful growth, the Mall is at the mercy of special interests and those seeking to remake the Mall in their own political interest.
Anything less than a forward-looking Mall plan is doomed to fail. In 2003 Congress declared the Mall a “substantially completed work of civic art” after realizing the growing threat. But Congress continues to approve new memorials and museums on the traditional Mall – the definition of which incidentally has never been laid out in law – that compromise its historical and symbolic integrity.
Already, the World War II Memorial, constructed between the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial amidst great controversy over its location, has forever altered the physical and symbolic connection between monuments to the father of our country and the preserver of the Union. Now the president proposes a colossal triumphal arch to interrupt the sublime vista and symbolism of post-Civil War reconciliation from Lincoln to Arlington National Cemetery.
Let’s get real! It’s our 250th birthday! The Mall, the Stage for American Democracy, belongs to the American people. We need a 3rd Century Mall plan. Now.
Tags: 3rd Century Mall, National Mall
