A look at the features of St. Louis’ Gateway Arch, our smallest National Park

The Gateway Arch in St. Louis — America’s smallest national park and tallest human-built monument — turns 60 on Oct. 28.

The Gateway Arch is 75 feet taller than the Washington Monument and over twice as tall as the Statue of Liberty. If the 60-foot heads carved on the face of Mount Rushmore had bodies, the giants would stand about 465 feet tall and could easily walk through the legs of the arch.

It’s 630 feet to the top, and views can be up to 30 miles on a clear day. The legs at the bottom are 630 feet apart as well. The arch can sway as much as 18 inches in heavy winds or an earthquake.

Not for everyone

Before riding the tram you will be asked if you have a fear of heights or claustrophobia. Each tram car seats five people in a small area.

The arch was built by stacking hundreds of triangles together. Each section is an equilateral triangle — each side the same length. The arch’s bottom sections have 54-foot sides. At the top they narrow to 17 feet.

The architect

A nationwide competition was held in 1947-48 to determine what could be built on the 40-block site to honor Thomas Jefferson, his Louisiana Purchase, explorers Lewis and Clark, pioneers, tribes of the Great Plains and all others involved in the story of westward expansion. After the announcement of the competition, 235 teams of architects, artists and designers stated their intention to compete, but only 172 sent in submissions. Finnish-born architect Eero Saarinen’s stainless steel arch was chosen.

The tram engineer

The Gateway Arch tram system has a one-of-a-kind design that incorporates components of Ferris wheels and elevators. It was designed and built by Dick Bowser, who didn’t have a college degree. Bowser left school and joined the Navy during World War II. When he returned home he worked for an elevator company owned by his father. Bowser was involved in every part of tram construction, installation and early maintenance. As George Hertzog, who served as superintendent of the park from 1959-1962, remembers it, “They got the bid, but they didn’t have an engineer that knew how to build it. So they hired Bowser to go up and build it.”

Each tram has eight passenger cars and is powered by a typical heavy-duty elevator mechanism with cables, counterweights, etc. Each of the arch trams carries 40 passengers. Tram rides take 45-60 minutes: four minutes up, three minutes down and around eight minutes at the top, plus a preboarding educational tour and a short film about the 1960s.

Timeline of notable events

• 1935: The Jefferson National Expansion Memorial is designated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. It stretches from St. Louis’ Old Courthouse to steps overlooking the Mississippi River. Created as a tribute to Thomas Jefferson’s vision of a transcontinental U.S., it is near the meeting place of the nation’s two longest rivers (Mississippi and Missouri), since they played a pivotal role in westward expansion.
• 1947: A nationwide design competition is launched to determine the design of the memorial.
• 1948: Architect Eero Saarinen’s design of a 630-foot stainless steel arch is chosen.
• 1963: Construction begins on what would come to be called the Gateway Arch.
• 1965: Construction is completed Oct. 28 at a cost of $15 million.
• 1967: The north tram opens to the public July 24.
• 1968: The south tram is completed.

 

 

Sources: National Park Service, gatewayarch.com, Gateway Arch Park Foundation