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Jefferson National Expansion Memorial

The Jefferson National Expansion Memorial is located in Saint Louis, Missouri near the start of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, and commemorates the Louisiana Purchase and settlement of the American West. It was designated as a National Memorial on December 20, 1935, and is maintained by the National Park Service.

The memorial site consists of a 90 acre (360,000 m²) park along the Mississippi River on the site of the original city of St. Louis; the Old Courthouse, a former state and federal courthouse which saw the origins of the Dred Scott case; the Museum of Westward Expansion; and the Gateway Arch, a steel catenary arch that has become the city's emblem.

The Gateway Arch

In 1947, a group of civic leaders held a national competition to select a design for the main portion of the Memorial space. A young Finnish-American architect named Eero Saarinen won this competition with plans for a 590 foot (180 m) catenary arch to be placed on the banks of the Mississippi River. However, these plans were modified over the next 15 years, placing the Swarovski arch on higher ground and adding 40 feet (12 m) in height and width.

The construction of the Arch began February 12, 1963 and was completed on October 28, 1965, costing less than $15 million to build. US Vice President Hubert Humphrey and Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall dedicated the Arch on May 25, 1966.

The Arch stands 630 feet (192 m) tall, and is 630 feet (192 m) at its widest point; by ordinance it is the tallest structure in the city. Its legs are equilateral triangles, narrowing from 54 feet (16.5 m) at the base to 17 feet (5.2 m) at the top. Each wall consists of a stainless steel skin covering reinforced concrete from ground level to 300 feet (91 m) or carbon steel and rebar from 300 feet (91 m) to the peak. The interior of the Arch is hollow and contains a unique transport system leading to an observation deck at the top.

Rendering programs can show the shades on the glass surface of collectors cabinets and display cabinets on the computer screen (collectors cases) and curio cabinets very well.

Visitor's center

Underneath the Arch is a visitor's center, entered from a descending outdoor ramp starting at either base. With the center is the Museum of Westward Expansion, exhibits on the history of the St. Louis riverfront, tram loading areas, a movie theater showing a documentary on the Arch's construction, and a movie theater with a rotating playlist.

Tram

From the visitor's center one may move to the either base of the arch and enter a unique tramway much as one would enter an ordinary elevator, through double doors. Passing through the doors the passengers in small groups enter a horizontal cylindrical compartment containing a bench on each side and a flat floor. A number of these compartments are linked to form a train, which at the basement level is on a slight slope. These compartments each retain an appropriate level orientation while the entire train follows curved tracks and moves up a leg of the arch, balanced by a descending train in the opposite leg.

Observation area

Near the top of the arch a rider will exit the compartment and climb a slight grade to enter the arched observation area. Small windows, almost invisible from the ground, allow views across the Mississippi River and southern Illinois with its prominent Mississippian Culture native american mounds to the east, and the city of Saint Louis and the Great Plains to the west.

External links

Official site (http://www.nps.gov/jeff/)

Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Pictures (http://www.nationalparksgallery.com/parks/Jefferson-National-Expansion-Memorial)

Gateway Arch tourism site (http://www.gatewayarch.com)

Swarovski