Gateway Arch by Eero Saainen - St. Louis, Missouri
Posted by: 
BruceS
N 38° 37.440 W 090° 11.101
15S E 745061 N 4278812
The Gateway Arch located in downtown St. Louis is a well known landmark and is one of the world's largest abstract sculptures.
Waymark Code: WM2Z2P
Location: Missouri, United States
Date Posted: 01/13/2008
Views: 199
The Gateway Arch in downtown St. Louis measures 75 feet taller than the
Washington Monument and more than twice as tall as the Statue of Liberty.
The process which led to the construction of the Arch began in 1933 when the
St. Louis Mayor Dickman assembled a group of businessmen who formed the
Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Association. A Joint Resolution from
Congress followed in 1934. In 1935,the City passed a $7.5 million bond issue
and, along with $9 million in WPA funds, began acquisition and clearance of a
40-block area. After this nothing significant happened until 1948 when
architectural competition was won by Eero Saarinen. Saarinen's design was for a
630 foot tall stainless steel clad catenary curve shaped arch. Construction of
the Arch began in 1963, and was completed on October 28, 1965, for a total cost
of less than $15 million. The Arch has foundations sunk 60 feet into the ground,
and is built to withstand earthquakes and high winds; it sways up to 1 inch in a
20 mph wind, and is built to sway up to 18 inches.
General Facts
| Outer Width - Outside North Leg to Outer South Leg |
630' (192m) |
| Maximum Height |
630' (192m) |
| Shape of Arch Section |
Equilateral Triangle |
| Dimension of Arch at Base |
54 ft. (16.46m) |
| Dimension of Arch at Top |
17 ft. (5.18m) |
| Size of Windows |
Approx. 7" x 27" (180 mm x 690 mm) |
| Construction of Windows |
3/4 in. (19mm) Plate Glass; Hinged and Locked |
| Size of Observation Room |
7' 2" x 65' x 6' 9" high (2.18m x 19.8m x 2.06m) |
| Capacity of Observation Platform |
100 - 140 persons |
| Deflection of Arch |
18" in 150 MPH wind (0.46 m in 240 km/h wind) |
| Method of Determining Deflection of Arch |
Calculations and Wind Tunnel Tests (240 km/h) |
| Number of Sections in Arch |
142 |
| Thickness of Plates for Outer Skin |
1/4" (6.3mm) |
| Type of Material Used in Arch Exterior |
Stainless Steel; #3 Finish Type 304 |
| Structural Capacity of Observation Area |
100 lb/sq. ft (488 kg/m) |
The Gateway Arch is included in the
Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of Sculptures as a geometric
abstract sculpture.