How It's Built: The Gateway Arch in St. Louis
How It's Built: The Gateway Arch in St. Louis
There are several buildings and monuments across North America that stand out as some of the most interesting and unique structures in the world. 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 just aren't many monuments around the world that look similar to what is known by locals as "The Arch".
Where Is The Gateway Arch?
Bordering the west side of the Mississippi River, The Gateway Arch is located in downtown St. Louis, Missouri in the Gateway Arch National Park. Standing as the tallest tower in St. Louis and Missouri, it is a 630-foot monument with some great views of St. Louis as well as Southern Illinois as you can see up to 30 miles in either direction on a clear day from the top. 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.
When Was The Gateway Arch Built?
While the final design of the project was finished in 1949, construction on the monument didn't start until 1963. It was completed two and a half years later in October of 1965. 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. However, the building is actually both 630 feet tall and 630 feet wide. Because of this amazing design feature, it's known as a real-life example of an optical illusion.
It cost roughly 13 million dollars to build back in 1963 which would equate to about 200 million dollars in today's money value. It was also built at a time when health and safety precautions were not like they are today and construction workers weren't required to wear harnesses, despite working at extraordinary heights. Fortunately, and quite amazingly, no construction workers died in the process of building The Gateway Arch.
Who Built The Gateway Arch?
The Gateway Arch was designed by the Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen. His desire was to use the arch as a way to emulate the geometric shapes of monuments in Washington, D.C. that were dedicated to figures like Jefferson and Lincoln. Because of this, he figured that an arch was the best representation of this concept and would act as a "Gateway to the West". Unfortunately, Saarinen was never able to see his building come to life as he died in September of 1961, two years before construction on the arch started.
Saarinen is known for many other buildings around the world including the Washington Dulles International Aiport, the GM Technical Center, and even the John Deere headquarters although he died before the construction was complete on that project too. He also sat on the leadership board for the designs of the Sydney Opera House.
The structural engineer of The Arch monument was Hannskart Bandel as he and Saarinen worked side-by-side in bringing the shape of the arch from an engineering perspective to life. While Saarinen had the original design of the building, it was Bandel who came up with the engineering of the structure so that it would be able to support itself.
Other famous structures that Bandel is remembered for include Toronto City Hall in Toronto, Ford Foundation Headquarters in New York City, and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.
Why The Gateway Arch Was Built
This stunning piece of architecture and design is a memorial dedicated to Thomas Jefferson's role in expanding and opening the West, as well as dedicated to the pioneers and adventurers who helped shape its history. To honor this, it was built near the starting point of the Lewis and Clark expedition.
Nowadays, The Arch stands as a symbol of Missouri's heritage, innovation, and determination as it became the icon for which St. Louis was recognized.
What is the Gateway Arch Made Of?
The core of the Gateway Arch itself is made up of double-walled, steel triangles that are stacked on top of each other and welded together. However, all that is viewable to those outside the Arch is the stainless steel coverings.
How The Arch Was Built?
The Arch was built in the pre-OSHA era when workmen were unharnessed so it was built without any large-scale safety machinery. As such, the building really stands as a testament to the work of the steelworkers, electricians, welders, engineers, architects, and machine operators who were involved in the process.
As mentioned above, the majority of the building was put together triangle piece by triangle piece and welded together. There are a total of about 142 sections that were built on foundations that are 60 feet deep into the ground. Each piece got more and more narrow as it reached the top of the arch.
Amazingly, each triangle piece is hollow which allowed for a tram system to be built within the arch that allows people to reach the top of the arch for great views of Missouri and Illinois. Despite it being hollow, the building is sturdy enough to handle earthquakes and can even handle winds that make it sway up to 18 inches! Thankfully that doesn't happen very often.
Overall, the structure weighs about 43,226 tons.
Visiting The Gateway Arch
With a museum, tram rides, boat cruises, and documentaries about the Arch, there is entertainment anyone can enjoy. It's easy enough to plan your visit to the Arch on their website and you can even go in groups. The state of Missouri and the city of St. Louis have a lot of history that a trip to the Arch can help you appreciate. Just make sure you try the tram ride as it will provide you with great views of downtown St. Louis and Southern Illinois.
