One of the main tourist attractions in St Louis, Missouri is the Gateway Arch, often referred to as simply the St Louis Arch.  I arrived to view it in late morning, with the sun in just the perfect spot.  There was construction at the bottom (you can just see a crane in the picture), and it turned out that they were constructing a park under the arch to be open this summer.  So the grounds around the base of the arch weren’t at their prettiest when I was there, but… I wasn’t looking down much.

This is one of those places where, at least on a sunny day, you just can’t take a bad picture.  It’s huge, it’s shiny, it’s beautifully formed, elegant, and soaring!

Just for fun I took this one with only the near edge in focus.

There’s usually a tram car inside the arch that will take you to the top, where there are windows to look out, but the tram is being repaired at the moment, so unfortunately I didn’t get off the ground.  It’s worth going inside the visitor center under the arch though, to learn the history of the idea and the construction.  Sitting right next to the Mississippi River, it’s meant to be a monument to westward expansion.

The next couple of pictures are actually shots from the movie that documented the construction of the arch.  They built the two sides at the same time, being extremely careful of their measurements so that they met perfectly in the middle.  The arch was made in triangular sections that were brought to the site and lifted into place.  Each base is filled with concrete reinforced with tensioned cables.

As they got higher, they had to construct platforms to work off of, and to support the cranes.  Near the top they used a temporary cross brace to support the arch while lifting the final sections.  These pictures show the placing of the final section.  The two sides were pushed apart by four feet to allow it to be inserted.  I find the construction methodology to be as fascinating as the design of the arch itself!  It was also rather alarming to see none of the construction workers using safety harnesses!

There was another short film there that explained why the tram to the top of the arch was under repair.  I didn’t understand the exact concept, so may have the details wrong, but it seems that over the years the steel tram cables have stretched, and I believe that there’s also water in the cables from condensation.  Whatever the reason, they’re no longer able to properly tension the cable so that the tram cars will move, so are replacing them.  In the gift shop you can buy bits of the cable being used, and models of the arch.

As I was leaving, I saw this sign on the wall, and thought it must be an acronym for something.  As it turns out, this is where a future sign will be mounted, and these are test letters to determine the best sizes and fonts to be used.  Apparently so many people ask about it, though, that the guards have started using it as a greeting to each other: “Wmaaarrr!!”

Just up the hill from the Gateway Arch is the Old Courthouse.  In one wing they have a display about the arch, including one of the tram cars that are used to bring people to the top.  As you can see, it’s quite squeezy!  There are seats for five people inside, but they’d have to be pretty close friends for this to be comfortable!

The courthouse itself is a great building, with a beautiful dome and a long history.  At a time when public oratory was at the heart of politics, this was quite the echo chamber.

One of the building’s primary claims to fame is that the Dred Scott case was heard here, over the course of three years.  If you don’t know your American history, or have forgotten, this was a landmark case about the rights of slaves and a major catalyst for the Civil War.

Another significant building near the Gateway Arch is the old cathedral.  It’s the fourth church on this site, the land having been owned by the Catholic Church since the founding of St Louis in 1764.  It was completed in 1834 and is still actively used.  There were lots of rosary snipers out front chatting to tourists visiting the arch — I have a cheap yellow plastic rosary if anyone would like it…

The inside of the church is beautiful, cool, and peaceful.

What I found particularly amazing, though, was the size of the Archdiocese of St Louis at the time that the present building was constructed!

Although a trip to St Louis might not be high on your list of tourist destinations, I would really recommend it if you’re anyway in the region.  I was so pleasantly surprised by the whole city, and can’t recommend it enough, particularly the arch and the buildings in its vicinity.  I certainly hope to return here when the park and the tram renovations in the arch are completed.  I’ve heard that you can feel the arch swaying when you’re at the top — how cool!