The tallest national monument in America, it is a legendary engineering triumph, designed by Finnish-born architect Eero Saarinen. Plans for the Arch were first envisioned by civil leader Luther Ely Smith in Smith, who sought to revive the waterfront, raised his idea in a meeting with city leaders; by , the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Association was created.
From , the city held a nationwide competition to design the new monument. Finnish -born architect Eero Saarinen, who received his education in the US, won with his stainless steel arch. On June 23, , St. Louis celebrated by breaking ground, and excavations continued until construction began in February of Saarinen, who was working at the time to perfect his design, unfortunately, did not live to see the construction of the arch; he died of a brain tumor in On October 28, , the massive stainless steel arch was completed, standing feet above the river.
In , the internal tram system to take visitors to the top and the Visitor Center, which included exhibits, opened to the public. Less than a decade later, the Museum of Westward Expansion opened underneath the arch with exhibits on St. Since its completion, the arch has been the subject of several improvements, including illuminating floodlights, the Grand Staircase, and an updated museum. Today, the Jefferson Expansion Memorial includes the Gateway Arch, the Museum of Westward Expansion, and the Old Courthouse — the site of the famous Dred Scott slavery cases of the s — and receives nearly four million visitors every year.
The officials running the competition informed Eliel Saarinen that his design for the monument had been selected. Later on, when Eliel and his family were celebrating the victory over champagne, a telegram came in, informing the family that Eero had, in fact, won the competition and not Eliel. Recommended Read History of St. Louis Sports Teams.
Needless to say, the actual construction of the Arch was far from easy. Many people even speculated that once the two legs were connected, the arch would come tumbling down. The colossal monument was built to withstand extreme weather and earthquakes, as it was designed to be able to sway as much as eighteen inches. However, under normal circumstances, the Arch does not move at all. It takes mile-per-hour winds to make the Arch sway even one-and-a-half inches.
Somewhat understandably, the insurance company covering the construction of the Arch predicted that there would be thirteen deaths while it was being built. Miraculously, not a single person died during its construction. The only death that has ever been associated with the St. In , he attempted to BASE-jump from the top of the arch , but his parachute failed, and he fell to his death.
The sole exception to this rule was President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who visited the Gateway Arch in when he was years-old. The former President arrived early at the monument, before it was open to the public, and insisted that he be able to ride to the top. It seems only fitting, as he was the President who signed the order to begin construction of the Arch in Eero went on to design Washington Dulles International Airport, the TWA terminal at JFK International Airport in New York and a celebrated line of high modern furniture, but died of a brain tumor at 51, fourteen years after he dreamed up the arch and four years before it was finished.
In , local business leaders promoted the idea of a memorial to Thomas Jefferson and the expansionary vision of his Louisiana Purchase. The city engineer, W.
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