Irreplaceable National Park Site Threatened By Proposal for Another Trump Construction Project
WASHINGTON – A coalition of advocacy, conservation, and historic preservation organizations and an individual Washington, D.C. resident have united in an effort to save West Potomac Park. In a complaint filed today, the National Parks Conservation Association, DC Preservation League, National Mall Coalition, Olmsted Network, the Committee of 100 on the Federal City, The Cultural Landscape Foundation, and D.C. resident Steve Longenecker are seeking to stop the Trump-Vance administration’s unlawful attempt to remake West Potomac Park, national park land that belongs to all Americans. The coalition is represented in the matter by Democracy Forward Foundation.
In the lawsuit, which is filed just after a federal judge blocked the Trump-Vance administration’s efforts to erase history and science in the national parks in another matter brought by lawyers at Democracy Forward, the groups argue that the National Garden of American Heroes violates the Administrative Procedure Act based on non-compliance with, among other laws, the Commemorative Works Act, National Historic Preservation Act, National Environmental Policy Act, and National Park Service Organic Act.
“Our national parks in Washington, D.C. are some of the most visited and symbolically significant public spaces anywhere in the world,” said Tiernan Sittenfeld, President and CEO for the National Parks Conservation Association. “We’re filing this lawsuit with our partners to ensure that remains the case in West Potomac Park. This invaluable green space is enjoyed by locals and millions of visitors alike for recreation, reflection and commemoration. Our parks are held in trust for every American and for generations to come. Congress put clear laws in place to safeguard the National Mall from new construction and to ensure the public has a meaningful voice in decisions about landscapes that belong to them, as space open to all. On this 250th anniversary of the founding of our nation, we must celebrate our parks and the democratic ideals they represent.”
“West Potomac Park was designated by Congress over a century ago to be preserved for the recreation and enjoyment of all people, regardless of their background or privilege,” said Rebecca Miller, Executive Director of the DC Preservation League (DCPL). “DCPL has joined this coalition to ensure that this historically significant cultural landscape remains a public treasure for everyday citizens, protecting it from being unlawfully transformed into an unrecognizable island that does not fulfill its intended purpose.”
“West Potomac Park is an integral landscape component of the brilliant historic plans — 1791 L’Enfant Plan and 1901-2 McMillan Plan – that give our capital the visual and symbolic power revered by Americans and foreign visitors alike,” said Judy Scott Feldman, chair of the National Mall Coalition. “We join our fellow plaintiffs in demanding respect for the capital’s visionary planning legacy and the public consultation process that sustains Americans’ faith in their democracy.”
“Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. believed that public landscapes are among our most important democratic institutions. The National Mall and its surrounding parks comprise a nationally significant network of ceremonial and civic spaces that express our shared values and invite public participation in our democracy. West Potomac Park is an essential part of that landscape. For generations, it has provided an open and welcoming place for recreation, reflection, and community at the heart of the nation’s capital. We are joining this coalition because protecting places like West Potomac Park requires more than preserving land—it requires respecting the laws, public engagement, and democratic processes that guide decisions about our shared civic inheritance,” said Sue Breitkopf, President, The Olmsted Network.
“The Committee of 100 on the Federal City has long defended the fundamental values of the L’Enfant and McMillan Plans to sustain the distinction, beauty, and open spaces of our nation’s capital. The Trump administration has announced that it plans to install a major new project — the National Garden of American Heroes — in West Potomac Park, without Congressional approval or any review by the National Capital Planning Commission or the Commission of Fine Arts, as required by law. West Potomac Park, located on land within the National Mall, is specifically protected by the Commemorative Works Act, one of several laws that the Administration has chosen to ignore in this case. The Committee of 100 is pleased to join our co-plaintiffs in seeking to ensure protection of this national treasure,” said Judy Chesser, Chair, The Committee of 100 on the Federal City.
“The National Register-designated West Potomac Park is not available open space; it is part of the National Mall, which is one of the world’s finest achievements in civic landscape architecture, architecture, city planning, and art,” said Charles A. Birnbaum, The Cultural Landscape Foundation’s Founding President and CEO, adding, “West Potomac Park and other treasured examples of our nation’s shared patrimony are safeguarded by the rule of law, which we believe should be enforced.”
“For many years, West Potomac Park has been a place I am able to come with my children and friends to play ultimate frisbee,” said Longenecker, who has been bringing his daughter with disabilities to weekend pickup games at West Potomac Park since she was a baby. “This recreation area is part of what makes our community an amazing place to live and enjoy; it is a privilege to play a sport I love in view of some of our most iconic national symbols. I like to think our friendly games actually elevate the specialness of the space by adding everyday human activity into the mix. I am heartbroken at the thought of losing it.”
West Potomac Park has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places as part of the East and West Potomac Parks Historic District since 1973 for its association with the City Beautiful Movement and its cultural landscape. The park sits on the National Mall and is home to some of its most prominent sites, including the Korean War Veterans Memorial, the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. Nestled alongside these monuments and the Potomac River, the park’s open fields provide a scenic landscape for recreation and reflection, and serve as a recreational haven for thousands of D.C. residents and visitors. In 1897, Congress mandated that the land “be forever held and used as a park for the recreation and pleasure of the people.” More than a century later, on any given day, the park might be hosting friendly games of softball, soccer, ultimate frisbee, kickball, or rugby, and offering runners, walkers, bicyclists, and others an opportunity to enjoy the outdoors.
West Potomac Park, a part of the National Mall and Memorial Parks, has been targeted, however, for an unlawful transformation. With no regard for the site’s historic and recreational features, President Trump has characterized West Potomac Park as “a totally BARREN field of Prime Waterfront Real Estate,” and announced that his administration would convert the park into a so-called sculpture garden he is calling the “National Garden of American Heroes” as part of the upcoming celebrations around the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The proposed changes to the park include the introduction of 250 statues – each at least eight feet tall – to go along with reflecting pools and plazas as well as dining facilities and an amphitheater. One of the president’s top fundraisers has reportedly begun soliciting donations, sharing renderings that illustrate how the garden complex will replace the current idyllic landscape in West Potomac Park.
“The National Mall belongs to the people and not to any president,” said Skye Perryman, President and CEO of Democracy Forward. “President Trump’s vanity project to transform West Potomac Park defies clear congressional commands and several statutes governing projects of this magnitude. The president’s attempt to overhaul West Potomac Park poses a grave threat to the historic, aesthetic, and recreational interests of our clients and the American public. We are honored to sue on the coalition’s behalf. ”
The case is National Parks Conservation Association et al. v. Burgum et al. and the legal team at Democracy Forward working on the matter includes Michael Torcello, Anne Swift, Catherine Carroll, and Robin Thurston.
Read the complaint filed today here.
– # # # –
Democracy Forward Foundation is a national legal organization that advances democracy and social progress through litigation, policy, public education, and regulatory engagement. For more information, please visit www.democracyforward.org.
Since 1919, the nonpartisan National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) has been the leading voice in safeguarding our national parks. NPCA and its more than 1.9 million members and supporters work together to protect and preserve our nation’s most iconic and inspirational places for future generations. For more information, visit www.npca.org.
The DC Preservation League (DCPL), founded in 1971 as “Don’t Tear It Down” to save the Old Post Office Building on Pennsylvania Avenue, is a nonprofit, membership organization dedicated to preserving and protecting the District of Columbia’s historic and built environment. As the citywide advocate for historic preservation, DCPL identifies and documents historically significant buildings, landscapes, and neighborhoods; monitors proposed government legislation to ensure sound preservation policies; and works to increase public awareness through education and outreach. Learn more at www.dcpreservation.org.
The Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF) is a 501©(3) non-profit founded in 1998 with a mission of “connecting people to places.” TCLF educates and engages the public to make our shared landscape heritage more visible, identify its value, and empower its stewards. Through its website, publishing, lectures, and other events, TCLF broadens support and understanding for cultural landscapes. TCLF is also home to the Cornelia Hahn Oberlander International Landscape Architecture Prize.
The Committee of 100 on the Federal City, founded in 1923, has championed the fundamental values of the L’Enfant and McMillan Plans to sustain the distinction, beauty, and varied neighborhoods of the nation’s capital. As independent advocates for sound planning, we are active city-wide in land-use, housing, transportation, historic preservation, and the environment. The Committee’s vision of a beautiful and livable city for all has guided the Committee of 100 on the Federal City’s actions and priorities throughout its history to benefit the residents of Washington, DC. www.committeeof100.net
