1965 : Gateway Arch completed
On this day in 1965, construction is completed on the Gateway Arch, a
spectacular 630-foot-high parabola of stainless steel marking the
Jefferson National Expansion Memorial on the waterfront of St. Louis,
Missouri.
The Gateway Arch, designed by Finnish-born, American-educated
architect Eero Saarinen, was erected to commemorate President Thomas
Jefferson's Louisiana Purchase of 1803 and to celebrate St. Louis'
central role in the rapid westward expansion that followed. As the
market and supply point for fur traders and explorers--including the
famous Meriwether Lewis and William Clark--the town of St. Louis grew
exponentially after the War of 1812, when great numbers of people
began to travel by wagon train to seek their fortunes west of the
Mississippi River.
In 1947-48, Saarinen won a nationwide competition to design a monument
honoring the spirit of the western pioneers. In a sad twist of fate,
the architect died of a brain tumor in 1961 and did not live to see
the construction of his now-famous arch, which began in February 1963.
Completed in October 1965, the Gateway Arch cost less than $15 million
to build. With foundations sunk 60 feet into the ground, its frame of
stressed stainless steel is built to withstand both earthquakes and
high winds. An internal tram system takes visitors to the top, where
on a clear day they can see up to 30 miles across the winding
Mississippi and to the Great Plains to the west.
In addition to the Gateway Arch, the Jefferson Expansion Memorial
includes the Museum of Westward Expansion and the Old Courthouse of
St. Louis, where two of the famous Dred Scott slavery cases were heard
in the 1860s. Today, some 4 million people visit the park each year to
wander its nearly 100 acres, soak up some history and take in the
breathtaking views from Saarinen's gleaming arch.
history.com/tdih.do
1886 : Statue of Liberty dedicated
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=7064
1919 : Congress enforces prohibition
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5476
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On this day in 1965, construction is completed on the Gateway Arch, a
spectacular 630-foot-high parabola of stainless steel marking the
Jefferson National Expansion Memorial on the waterfront of St. Louis,
Missouri.
The Gateway Arch, designed by Finnish-born, American-educated
architect Eero Saarinen, was erected to commemorate President Thomas
Jefferson's Louisiana Purchase of 1803 and to celebrate St. Louis'
central role in the rapid westward expansion that followed. As the
market and supply point for fur traders and explorers--including the
famous Meriwether Lewis and William Clark--the town of St. Louis grew
exponentially after the War of 1812, when great numbers of people
began to travel by wagon train to seek their fortunes west of the
Mississippi River.
In 1947-48, Saarinen won a nationwide competition to design a monument
honoring the spirit of the western pioneers. In a sad twist of fate,
the architect died of a brain tumor in 1961 and did not live to see
the construction of his now-famous arch, which began in February 1963.
Completed in October 1965, the Gateway Arch cost less than $15 million
to build. With foundations sunk 60 feet into the ground, its frame of
stressed stainless steel is built to withstand both earthquakes and
high winds. An internal tram system takes visitors to the top, where
on a clear day they can see up to 30 miles across the winding
Mississippi and to the Great Plains to the west.
In addition to the Gateway Arch, the Jefferson Expansion Memorial
includes the Museum of Westward Expansion and the Old Courthouse of
St. Louis, where two of the famous Dred Scott slavery cases were heard
in the 1860s. Today, some 4 million people visit the park each year to
wander its nearly 100 acres, soak up some history and take in the
breathtaking views from Saarinen's gleaming arch.
history.com/tdih.do
1886 : Statue of Liberty dedicated
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=7064
1919 : Congress enforces prohibition
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5476
#########################################
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