It was a big idea. Huge, actually. Back in July 2020, standing against the backdrop of Mount Rushmore, Donald Trump announced the creation of the National Garden of American Heroes. He pitched it as a "vast outdoor park" featuring statues of the "greatest Americans to ever live." People had strong feelings about it immediately. Some saw it as a necessary defense of national heritage during a summer defined by the toppling of historical monuments. Others viewed it as a politically charged vanity project that leaned heavily into "culture war" aesthetics.
Honestly, the whole thing moved fast. Within six months, an executive order had expanded the list of proposed statues from 30 to nearly 250 names. But if you go looking for the garden today, you won’t find it. There’s no ribbon-cutting ceremony to watch on YouTube and no GPS coordinates to plug into your phone. The project was scrapped by the Biden administration just as quickly as it was proposed.
To understand why the National Garden of American Heroes vanished, you have to look at the chaotic intersection of executive power, aesthetic taste, and the sheer logistical nightmare of building a massive statue park from scratch in the middle of a global pandemic.
The Vision Behind the National Garden of American Heroes
The timing wasn't an accident. In the summer of 2020, the United States was gripped by protests following the death of George Floyd. Part of that movement involved the removal of Confederate monuments, but it eventually expanded to include statues of figures like Christopher Columbus and even some Founding Fathers. Trump’s response was the "Executive Order on Building and Rebuilding Monuments to American Heroes."
He wanted a place that was "beautiful" and "lifelike." No abstract art. No modern interpretations. He specifically mandated that the statues be "realistic," not "abstract or modernist." This was a direct jab at contemporary public art trends.
The initial list was a bit of a "greatest hits" of American history. You had George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln. But it also included Susan B. Anthony, Daniel Boone, and Antonin Scalia. By the time the second executive order dropped in January 2021—literally days before the end of the term—the list had ballooned. It was a dizzying mix. You had Billy Graham next to Whitney Houston. You had Steve Jobs, Kobe Bryant, and even Alex Trebek.
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Who Was Actually on the List?
The final list for the National Garden of American Heroes was basically a giant "Who's Who" of Western civilization and Americana. It wasn't just politicians. It was an attempt to bridge the gap between historical gravity and pop culture relevance.
Take a look at the diversity of the names included in that final push:
- Frontier Legends: Davy Crockett and Buffalo Bill.
- Civil Rights Icons: Martin Luther King Jr., Harriet Tubman, and Rosa Parks.
- Athletes: Roberto Clemente, Jesse Owens, and Babe Ruth.
- Entrepreneurs: Walt Disney and Nikola Tesla.
- Unexpected Additions: Even figures like Ingrid Bergman, Alfred Hitchcock, and Hannah Arendt made the cut.
The task force assigned to this, chaired by the Secretary of the Interior, was supposed to find a site for this "statue city." They looked at various locations, but a definitive spot was never officially broken ground on. There was talk of "rolling plains" or land near Washington D.C., but the clock ran out before a single ounce of bronze was cast.
The Logistics of 244 Statues
Building one high-quality, "realistic" bronze statue is a massive undertaking. It takes months of sculpting, molding, and casting. Now, multiply that by 244. The sheer cost would have been astronomical. While the executive order directed federal agencies to divert funds toward the project, there was never a clear, congressionally approved budget for a project of this scale.
Critics pointed out that the Department of the Interior was already facing a multi-billion dollar maintenance backlog for existing National Parks. Adding a massive new park filled with hundreds of statues—each requiring its own long-term maintenance—seemed like a fiscal fantasy to many in the park service.
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There was also the question of "who gets to decide?" The task force was composed of political appointees. History is messy. Choosing who is a "hero" and who isn't is a subjective exercise that usually takes decades of consensus-building. Trying to do it in six months felt, to many historians, like an attempt to codify a specific political brand of history into permanent bronze.
Why Biden Scrapped the National Garden of American Heroes
When President Biden took office, he wasted little time. On May 14, 2021, he issued Executive Order 14029. This order revoked several of Trump’s previous actions, including the one creating the National Garden of American Heroes.
Why? The administration didn't give a long-winded speech about it. They basically characterized it as part of a "cleanup" of executive overreach. The project was seen as a low priority that lacked a clear funding stream or a viable location. It was also politically radioactive. For the new administration, the garden represented a specific brand of populist nationalism that they were eager to move away from.
Interestingly, the cancellation didn't just stop the statue park. It also killed a separate order about "Protecting American Monuments, Memorials, and Statues and Combating Recent Criminal Violence," which had called for the prosecution of people who damaged federal monuments.
The Lingering Debate Over Public Art
The death of the National Garden of American Heroes didn't end the conversation about how we honor history. If anything, it highlighted the divide. On one side, you have the "Realistic" school. They believe statues should be recognizable tributes to great individuals. On the other side, you have the "Contextual" school. They argue that public spaces should reflect a more nuanced, often complicated view of history that doesn't rely on "Great Man" theory.
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It's worth noting that since the project was cancelled, the debate has shifted to local levels. While there is no federal garden, many states have seen an uptick in legislation regarding the protection of historical monuments. The idea of a "Hero Park" isn't dead; it just isn't happening at the federal level right now.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Project
A common misconception is that the project was a "Trump-only" monument. In reality, the list of heroes was surprisingly bipartisan in its breadth. It included icons of the left, the right, and people who were entirely apolitical. The controversy wasn't necessarily about who was on the list—hardly anyone argues that Jackie Robinson or Amelia Earhart aren't heroes—it was about the process.
By bypassing the usual bureaucratic channels and public comment periods that normally accompany national memorials, the project felt like an imposition rather than a gift to the nation. National parks and memorials usually take years, sometimes decades, of planning and bipartisan support. The National Garden of American Heroes tried to sprint through a process that is designed to be a marathon.
Actionable Insights: How to Track Federal Commemorative Works
If you’re interested in how the government actually builds monuments (the legal way), here is what you need to know:
- Follow the Commemorative Works Act (CWA): This is the law that governs how monuments are placed on federal land in D.C. It requires a specific process involving the National Capital Planning Commission and the Commission of Fine Arts.
- Check the Federal Register: Any time a President issues an executive order or a department proposes a new memorial, it’s logged here. It’s the best place to find the actual text of these orders rather than relying on social media snippets.
- Engage with Local Historical Societies: Since the federal project is dead, the "monument movement" has moved to the state level. Many states are currently debating new statues for local heroes.
- Monitor the National Park Service (NPS) Newsroom: If a project like this were ever to be revived, the NPS would be the lead agency. Their "Announcements" page is the gold standard for factual updates on land use and memorials.
The story of the garden is a classic example of how quickly federal priorities can shift. One day a project is a top-tier national initiative; the next, it’s a deleted PDF on a government server. Whether you loved the idea or hated it, the "Garden of Heroes" remains a fascinating footnote in the history of American public art and executive power.