The Gateway Arch on the shore of the Mississippi in St. Louis, Missouri is awesome to behold, its grandeur best appreciated when standing right up against or under it. The shape of the monument and its shining, rippling steel surface panels are beautiful to view in any light, but the focus of this collection is the arch lit up by its bright spotlights against the night sky.
The arch rises 630 feet in the air, making it the tallest monument in the US, and the tallest stainless-steel monument in the world. The monument is intended to signify and memorialize the region as the historical gateway to America’s West. It was also supposed to revitalize the riverfront of St. Louis (it did not), and to provide 5,000 construction jobs (it did not).
Built for 13 million dollars between 1963 and 1965 after 26 years of planning, the arch was built using a system of cranes and hydraulic jacks, using a crew that did not exceed 100 workers. There were no fatalities.
The structure consists of legs made of stainless-steel equilateral triangular sections, the hollow walls of which contain a sum of 38,898 tons of concrete. The central core contains a tram on each side bringing visitors to the observatory at the top.
Overview, including the park and the Mississsipi River
Arch and Moon
Rising 1
Rising 2
Up to the Stars
Observation Windows
Looking Into Illinois
Underground
Perspective from under the apex.
Stars and Reflections
