The stainless-steel-faced Arch spans 630 feet between the outer faces of its triangular legs at the ground level, and its top soars 630 feet into the sky. The Gateway Arch borrows the arch concept from Captain Eads and makes use of the new concept of stress analysis and structural design from Poplar Street Bridge.Įero Saarinen conceived the Arch in stainless steel and asked structural engineer Fred Severud to study its feasibility from the structural engineering point of view, demonstrating the need for joining the skills of more than one discipline in order to create a project of this magnitude. Bridge of this size to employ orthotropic design. At the southern end of Poplar Street Bridge which is a steel plate girder bridge the first U.S. Historic bridges surround the north and south of The Arch, to the north you have Eads Bridge was the first tubular steel arch structure of its kind. It also serves as one of three firsts in the history of engineering in this country, all in the City of St. The glorious concept, imposing in its setting and unique in its design, the Gateway Arch was part of the $30 million Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. Courtesy of the National Park Service.ĭetail, entry #144 by Eero Saarinen. Presentation collage entry #144 by Eero Saarinen. View of Eero Saarinen model of St Louis Gateway Arch and riverfront. The winning design was won by architect Eero Saarinen, it would be the start of his career. The Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Association, a group of public citizens, held a nationwide competition in 1947 to obtain a suitable design. There are nine images in this animation that show the Arch at different points during its construction. The image on this page is an animated image of the construction of the Gateway Arch between FebruOctober 28, 1965. Courtesy of the National Park Service.Īrch under construction. View of the Gateway Arch under construction almost completed. The Gateway Arch was designed by a renowned architect, Eero Saarinen. The center contains the Museum of Westward Expansion, which tells the century-long story of the opening of the West in the 1800s through films shown in several movie theaters. The Memorial includes an underground visitor's center directly underneath the Arch. Louis Riverfront was selected as the site of the Jefferson National Memorial, which commemorates the Westward Expansion of the United States in the 19th century, as envisioned by Thomas Jefferson.Įero Saarinen kneeling beneath a model of the Gateway Arch. It is 75 feet taller than the Washington Monument and over twice as tall as the Statue of Liberty. The arch’s structure can withstand an earthquake and sways in very strong winds.The Gateway Arch is the nation's tallest monument (630 feet tall). The arch is constructed of reinforced concrete.Īll the steel for the construction project was supplied by the Pittsburgh-DesMoines Steel Company. There are 142 steel sections in the arch. Louis being the “gateway” to the American West.Īt its peak, the arch is 63 stories high. ![]() The name Gateway Arch is an extension of the city of St. The arch was meant as a monument to honor Thomas Jefferson and pioneers. Though this number is said to be a far cry from the actual numbers, the Gateway Arch construction project did spur riverfront restoration and construction efforts, leading to a sports stadium, a motel, a hotel, several garages and an apartment complex for the city of St. Original estimates projected that the construction project would produce 5,000 jobs. The arch, which consists in large part of steel and concrete, has 142 12 feet long prefab stainless steel sections, which subsequently to assembly where filled in with concrete.ĭue to the project timeline running longer than expected, the dedication ceremony date for the 630 feet high and wide reinforced concrete arch was re-set several times, until it was officially dedicated by Vice President Humphrey in May of 1968. Work on the arch itself did not begin until February 1963. Ground for the project was broken in ’59, and two years later the foundation of the large structure was laid. ![]() Roughly two and a half years of construction brought the arch project cost to around $13 million dollars, which today would equal somewhere close to $95 million dollars.ĥ0 companies received bidding invitations for the arch and visitor center located at the Mississippi River’s west bank. The large structure, which was designed in 1947 and constructed from 1963 to 1965, has each of its legs embedded in 23,570 tons of concrete, which are 60 feet deep and 44 feet thick. Louis, Missouri, as the most visible part of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. The structure, which is the tallest man-made monument in the United States, sits in St. Louis Arch, is one of the most recognizable American monuments. The Gateway Arch, or as it is more commonly referred to by most Americans, the St.
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