However, the building is actually both 630 feet tall and 630 feet wide. If you were to stand under the monument or see it from any angle, you'd think that the building is much taller than it is wide. It was completed two and a half years later in October of 1965. While the final design of the project was finished in 1949, construction on the monument didn't start until 1963. It is both the tallest man-made monument in the United States and the tallest arch in the entire world and was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1987. Louis as well as Southern Illinois as you can see up to 30 miles in either direction on a clear day from the top. Louis and Missouri, it is a 630-foot monument with some great views of St. Louis, Missouri in the Gateway Arch National Park. There just aren't many monuments around the world that look similar to what is known by locals as "The Arch".īordering the west side of the Mississippi River, The Gateway Arch is located in downtown St. The Gateway Arch is one of those monuments due to not only how it stands over an entire city but because of how it was engineered and designed. There are several buildings and monuments across North America that stand out as some of the most interesting and unique structures in the world. "It takes a 50-mile an hour wind to move the top 1 1/2 inches each side of center.How It's Built: The Gateway Arch in St. "The Arch is designed to sway as much as 18 inches in 150 mph winds and it can withstand an earthquake however, under normal conditions, the Arch does not sway," the NPS website states. Visitors to the top often say they've felt the monument move, but the National Park Service points out it takes a lot just to move the Arch a tiny bit. And on top of that, it's also built to sway. "Saint Louis' Gateway Arch front view with a dynamic blue sky, a lawn, and trees with red fall leaves as photographed in the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial" Davel5957/Getty Imagesīelieve it or not, the Arch is earthquake resistant. Several hits have been reported on the Arch since 2010. According to, the Arch is hit one to two times a year by lightning on average, but there are some years that go by with no hits at all. Oh yes, the Gateway Arch can and has been struck by lightning. vanessasuzannphotography/Getty Images/iStockphoto 'Even more special': Mermis in his longest NHL stint yetĪ thunderstorm over the Arch and downtown St Louis from the loft rooftop. He died in Michigan in 1961, four years before the Arch's completion. He sadly didn't see his masterpiece come to life. Kennedy International Airport in New York, as well as the TWA Hotel and the CBS Building (his only skyscraper). The Finnish architect also designed Terminal 5 at John F. (Photo by Pictorial Parade/Archive Photos/Getty Images) Pictorial Parade/Getty ImagesĮero Saarinen will be forever remembered as the man who designed the Gateway Arch. The 630-foot (192 m) inverted catenary arch was designed by Finnish American architect Eero Saarinen. Creeper derricks are placing a temporary scissors truss between the partially completed legs at 530 feet (160 m) in order to steady them. The Gateway Arch monument under construction in St. He signed off on the land to be cleared for the Arch and national park in 1954 and made his way to the top in 1967. Eisenhower made his way to the top long after his term in office. Many reports have said the security risks are too high for the Secret Service to protect the leader of the free world, and to this day not one single standing president has been to top of the monument.įormer president Dwight D. The President of the United States is not allowed to journey to the top of the Gateway Arch and take in the views from the observation deck. Louis area and the Becky Thacher, a restaurant and museum. The boats in the foreground from left: Delta Queen, an excursion boat that travels the Mississippi river Huck Finn, an excursion boat for the St. (Frames 11, 12, and 13 color) include from left: The Pet Milk offices, the Gateway Arch Stouffer's Riverfront Inn the Old Cathedral Busch Memorial Stadium and the Gateway Towers Building. Louis: The Saint Louis riverfront looking west and taken from East St. Louis is called, "The Gateway City." No Presidents allowed Louis and the surrounding region was a gathering point as settlers before and after adventurers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark packed up to see what opportunities were in the uncharted land in the new American west. A gateway to all things beyond the western banks of the Mississippi River. The Gateway Arch stands as a symbol to America's westward expansion following the Louisiana Purchase. Louis, Missouri along the banks of the mighty Mississippi River shot from an altitude of about 700 feet over the river. The Gateway to the West Arch and the downtown area of St. But there's more to the Gateway Arch than just its stature, here five facts to know about the iconic structure.
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