Jefferson National (Western) Expansion Memorial--"Gateway Arch"

Eero Saarinen
1946-66



This catenary arch, with a sheathing of stainless steel, commemorates the Lousiana Purchase and the western movement. It is on an axis with the St. Louis Courthouse. This curved form, like Saarinen's Ingalls' Hockey Rink at Yale and his TWA terminal, was Saarinen's last achievement.

 

Looking up

The arch is 630 feet high and 630 feet wide. Elevators ascend the arch on both legs with five people to a car. While it seems to celebrate earlier events in American history, one could say it celebrates technology as well.
 

Looking up

This dramatic detail was taken by my friend and colleague Dr. Michael D. Edmiston, Ph.D., Professor of Physics and Chemistry at Bluffton College. This is a scan from a Kodachrome 25 slide taken in 1975. Dr. Edmiston has generously contributed it for viewing at this site. He owns the copyright and should be contacted directly if you are interested in the use of his photograph: Dr. Michael D. Edmiston



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© 1999 Mary Ann Sullivan. I have photographed (on site), scanned, and manipulated all the images on these pages. Please feel free to use them for personal or educational purposes. They are not available for commercial purposes.

Page created by Mary Ann Sullivan