President Donald Trump has decided to build a fornix in Washington, D.C., to coincide with the 2026 celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
From Roman Fornices to Imperial Power
In 79 A.D., Gaius Plinius Secundus—known as Pliny the Elder—served as the supreme commander of the Roman imperial fleet near Naples before dying during the eruption of Vesuvius. Amid his extensive administrative responsibilities, Pliny documented the evolution of Roman monuments, noting that columns with statues and monumental arches served to elevate individual mortals above others. By his lifetime, freestanding stone arches were firmly linked to military victories and the emperors who claimed them.
Surviving examples in Rome illustrate this trajectory. The Arch of Titus, erected in 81 A.D., commemorates the conquest of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Jewish temple. The Arch of Septimius Severus, built in 203 A.D., marks campaigns against the Parthians, while the Arch of Constantine, dedicated in 315 A.D., celebrates victory over Maxentius. Long before these imperial monuments dominated the capital, generals of the Roman Republic utilized similar vaulted structures—known as fornices—for prominent self-advertisement.
As the original term became associated with the brothels that frequented urban vaulted spaces, Emperor Augustus shifted official terminology to arcus, connecting the architecture with Apollo and consolidating triumphal honors exclusively within his own dynasty. Later European revivals, including Alfonso V of Aragon’s 1443 entry into Naples and Napoleon’s 1806 commissioning of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, reinforced the arch’s direct association with military conquest and imperial authority.
The 2026 D.C. Arch Project
Set against the upcoming 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 2026, the proposed Washington, D.C., structure is planned. While President Trump has designated the project a “Triumphal Arch,” the label carries a distinct historical weight tied to military subjugation rather than republican liberation.
Historically, American adoption of Roman forms has largely bypassed the traditional triumphal program. Permanent American arches have typically commemorated sacrifice or civic benefaction. Examples include the Hartford Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch, which commemorates the service and sacrifice of Union soldiers and sailors rather than their victory.
Exceptions involving explicit triumphal symbolism in the United States remain rare and largely temporary, such as New York’s Dewey Arch. Meanwhile, the Gateway Arch in St. Louis frames territorial expansion as a “Gateway to the West” rather than a military triumph over Indigenous peoples.
Unresolved Institutional Plans
With preparations for the 250th anniversary continuing, discussions regarding the integration of classical Roman motifs into the American capital remain ongoing.
