The Gateway Arch

100 Places to See Before You Die!

The Gateway Arch

St. Louis, Missouri

Soaring 630 feet over the Mississippi River in St. Louis, the Gateway Arch is the tallest monument in the United States.   This spectacular stainless steel structure is the symbol of St. Louis and was built to memorialize westward expansion of the US.

The arch is a result of architect Eero Saarinen, a Finnish-American, winning a competition in 1947 to design the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial.  The idea was to build a monument to "honor the pioneering spirit of St. Louis, the Gateway to the West, and to express the sense of liberty symbolized by Thomas Jefferson". 

The viewing area at the top of the arch.

Construction of the arch began in 1963 and it was completed in 1965.  The cost was about $13 million at the time.  Despite predictions to the contrary, no one died during the build.  The scientific shape is called a catenary curve, which is the shape a chain makes when hanging between two supports.

Visiting the arch means heading to the rejuvenated downtown St. Louis waterfront area.  There are parking garages a short walk from the arch entrance.  As you walk up to the arch, it's striking just how big it really is.  It's also interesting that nothing else appears to be there but a park.  The entrance to the arch takes you below ground where there is a rather large area with theatres, displays, shops and ticket centers for heading up into the structure.

The lines to get in are slow moving and NOT in the shade.

The most interesting thing about the arch to me are the pods (they call it a tram) that take you to the top.  Each one is a tiny little five seat bubble that looks like something out of 2001: A Space Odyssey.  If you're claustrophobic, you won't do well with this ride. 

I kept waiting for HAL to ask me what I was doing.

The viewing area at the top offers great views of downtown St. Louis and the Mississippi, albeit through rather tiny windows.  You can stay as long as you want and then head down the same way you got there.

The gateway Arch is an architecturally unique and impressive structure and if you're in St. Louis you should really take the time to visit it.  The ride to the top is a fantastic experience and the films about the construction are worth the time.