Trump allies want classical design at new Commanders stadium

State of play: HKS, the stadium's architect, joined the project two months ago and is working on its first renderings of the 65,000 seater.

• Will Scharf, President Trump's handpicked chairman of the National Capital Planning Commission, recently told team reps he hopes the stadium "incorporates architectural features in keeping with the capital more generally — classical, neoclassical elements," per the Washington Business Journal.
• "I think really going back to classical antiquity, arenas and stadiums have played a vital role in the urban cityscape," Scharf said at an NCPC meeting. "I think there were several decades in American history where we unfortunately really got away from that, much to the detriment of the fan experience."

Between the lines: Scharf's commission has a say over the project's design.

What they're saying: The Commanders said last year they want the "loudest, most dynamic" stadium, but no word yet on anything like stone columns for the facade.

Flashback: Trump has signed executive orders to promote classical architecture for federal buildings.

• Trump also wants the stadium named after himself, so he's very invested in the RFK project.

The bottom line: The Commanders and their architects have to follow what the NCPC says, and Scharf is an influential Trump aide, serving as staff secretary in the White House and previously as his former personal lawyer.