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)

 

Type of documentation of superlative status: National Parks Service website Location of coordinates: Under center of Arch. Web Site: [Web Link]

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