October 28:

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.

Learn more about Missouri with fun facts,
state stats, historical maps and more!
http://www.history.com/states/missouri/

Buy The Best of History 2008
http://shop.history.com/detail.php?p=71746&pa=EMC-0000051

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

General Interest
1965 : Gateway Arch completed
http://www.history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihVideoCategory&id=5477
1886 : Statue of Liberty dedicated
http://www.history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=7064
1919 : Congress enforces prohibition
http://www.history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5476