Louis, the last major metropolitan center on the edge of the frontier," Moore says.Įero officially snagged the top honor on Feb. history - the unprecedented migration during the 19th century of hundreds of thousands of people into the trans-Mississippi West, funneled through the bustling city of St. The goal at the heart of Smith's proposal was to construct a tribute to commemorate a legitimate landmark in U.S. "Thirdly, Smith wanted their efforts to result in a unique memorial which would draw tourists from all over the world."Īlthough proposals to revitalize the riverfront had been circling since 1898, Smith "had the reputation and dedication to push his own concept to reality," according to Moore. Louisans back to work during the Great Depression," Moore says. "In addition to beautifying the city, Smith also wanted to put St. "The riverfront buildings were rundown and ancient in appearance." As modern barges replaced the old-timey paddle-wheel steamboats, the once-bustling harbor fell into disrepair as the action moved elsewhere. Louis was one of the great American cities," he says. "It was not a pretty sight, and did not make visitors think that St. In the era before commercial aviation was common, the riverfront area was the first glimpse those in automobiles and trains had as they approached the city."Īccording to Moore, the area as it stood in the early '30s wasn't making any good impressions. The idea for the park was generated in the early 1930s by a bespectacled, middle-aged lawyer and self-proclaimed 'do-gooder' named Luther Ely Smith, who wanted to beautify the rundown St. "Its origins were equally out of the ordinary. "Gateway Arch National Park is an unusual National Park Service site," says NPS historian Bob Moore. But the bigger story of the arch's origin is kind of wild. The ambitious endeavor was the product of American-Finnish architect Eero Saarinen's contest-winning design. Somehow the team pulled it off, securing the Gateway Arch's enduring reputation as America's tallest monument and the world's tallest arch. When construction kicked off in 1961, many predicted an epic failure was inevitable - after all, how could workers ensure they'd leave just the right amount of space for the final piece with virtually no wiggle room for mistakes? The swooping, 630-foot (192-meter) landmark appears smooth and seamless, but its two legs were built separately from stainless steel shipped via train from Pennsylvania. Louis monument formally known as the Gateway Arch. Less than half a millimeter (0.01 inches): That's the margin of error welders had to work with when inserting the last piece of the towering St. Built as a monument to Thomas Jefferson and America’s westward expansion, it’s the tallest arch in the world and the tallest monument in the United States. The Gateway Arch stands on the Mississippi River in St.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |