Gateway St. Louis, BY MELISSA BRANDZEL

hat do you get when you port. T e matter wound up in court, and f - combine a dedicated nally President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave the civic leader, a prestigious green light via in 1935. One design contest, a math- dollar of city money would be provided for ematical equation, and each $3 in federal money. W43,226 tons of steel and concrete? T e city spent years clearing the riverfront You get America’s tallest monument. site. Progress was halted by World War II, As part of our tribute to the one-hundredth af er which Smith renewed his lof y ambi- anniversary of the this tion. He wanted an impressive monument year, we salute the Gateway Arch of St. Louis, on the grounds that would draw visitors, so, Missouri, the soaring highlight of the Jef er- in 1947, JNEMA launched a national design son National Expansion Memorial—a roughly competition. A plucky young architect, Eero ninety-one-acre national park that holds not Saarinen, rose above the pack with his arch only the famous Arch and grounds, but also the design, beating nearly 175 rivals, including Old Courthouse and Square. his own architect father, Eliel, and legendary Nestled into the west bank of the Mississippi designers Charles and Ray Eames. Executing River, the Arch and its surrounding landscape Saarinen’s inverted curve required a comprise a National Historic Landmark. mathematical equation, engineering studies— T e iconic “Gateway of the West” had a slow and a mountain of patience. Getting the Arch rise to fame. In 1933, as the to completion proved to be a tall order. ravaged the nation, St. Louis attorney and civic In 1950, President Truman dedicated the leader Luther Ely Smith aspired to rebuild the site; President Eisenhower authorized its con- city’s run-down riverfront area into something struction four years later. Groundbreaking be- special. He envisioned a tribute to T omas Jef- gan in 1959. However, the Arch, a stressed skin ferson, the Purchase, and America’s of , was no easy thing to build— westward expansion of the 1800s—and to the in scope, structure, or materials—resulting in St. Louis area itself, from which Lewis and delays along the way. Although the exterior Clark made their expedition, commissioned shell was f nished in 1965, it wasn’t formally by Jef erson. Smith convinced the mayor, Ber- dedicated until 1968. Standing at 630 feet nard Dickmann, of the idea, and they formed (sixty-three stories) high—and stretching 630 the Jef erson National Expansion Memorial feet wide at ground level between the outer Association (JNEMA) in 1934. But JNEMA sides of the legs—the Arch became not only struggled to gain local and congressional sup- the tallest man-made monument in America, but also in the Western Hemisphere, and the tallest arch in the world. 5JDLFUJOHBOE7JTJUPS$FOUFSt/PSUI'PVSUI4USFFUt4U-PVJT .JTTPVSJt  tHBUFXBZBSDIDPN Today, the Arch and grounds of er plenty to see. T ere’s an underground visitor center, which houses the Museum of Westward Ex- pansion. For a fee, visitors can take a tram to the observation platform at the top of the Arch for an expansive view. T e Old Courthouse, where the Dred Scott case was tried, features ranger-led talks, exhibits, and more. T e park grounds and seasonal riverboat cruises give visitors a scenic respite. Saarinen remarked that he wished to “create a monument which would have lasting signif cance and would be a landmark of our time.” T e overarching con- clusion? He did indeed. G

MELISSA BRANDZEL is a writer and the Copy Editor for AMERICAN ROAD. Modern photos by David Schwen. Historic construction photo courtesy Library of Congress.

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