Gateway Arch facts for kids
The Gateway Arch is a giant metal arch in St. Louis, Missouri. It stands 630 feet (192 meters) tall. You can ride a special tram all the way to the top! About 4 million people visit the Gateway Arch every year. Building the arch cost around $13 million, and the tram system cost over $3 million.
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What is the Gateway Arch Like?
How Big is the Arch?
The Gateway Arch is 630 feet (192 meters) wide and 630 feet (192 meters) tall. It is the tallest memorial in the United States. It is also the tallest stainless steel monument anywhere in the world!
The legs of the arch are shaped like equilateral triangles. They are 54 feet (16 meters) wide at the bottom. They get narrower as they go up, becoming 17 feet (5.2 meters) wide at the very top. The arch is made of strong stainless steel on the outside. Inside, it has two layers of carbon-steel walls with reinforced concrete in the middle. The arch is hollow, which allows the unique tram system to carry visitors to the top.
The arch is built to be very strong. Each leg is set deep into 44 feet (13 meters) of concrete. This concrete weighs a lot, about 25,980 tons (23,560 metric tons). The arch can even handle earthquakes! It is designed to sway up to 18 inches (46 centimeters) in strong winds. It can stand up to winds as fast as 150 miles per hour (240 km/h). The whole structure weighs 42,878 tons (38,900 metric tons). A huge amount of stainless steel was used for the arch. It was the most stainless steel used in any single project at that time. The bottom of each leg had to be built with extreme precision. They had to be within 1/64 of an inch (0.40 millimeters) for the two sides to meet perfectly at the top.
How is the Arch Lit Up?
People first suggested lighting up the arch at night in 1966. But it didn't happen then. In 1998, a group called the Gateway Foundation agreed to pay for a lighting system. In January 1999, a temporary lighting system was set up. This was so the arch could be seen when Pope John Paul II visited. Since November 2001, the arch has been lit up in white light every night. This happens between 10 p.m. and 1 a.m. The lights come from 44 special lamps hidden underground.
On October 5, 2004, the arch was lit up in pink. This was to honor National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It was a way to show support for finding a cure. The arch has also been lit up in a rainbow of colors. This happened in 1995 to promote a show called Wizard of Oz on Ice.
Visiting the Gateway Arch
How Many People Visit?
When the arch was finished, people thought three million tourists would visit each year. In its first year, over 600,000 people went to the top. By 1969, one million people had reached the observation deck. By 1979, ten million people had visited the top! The Gateway Arch is now one of the most popular tourist spots in the world. Over four million people visit each year. About one million of them ride to the top.
The Gateway Arch was named a National Historic Landmark in 1987. It is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
In 2009, a big competition started to improve the area around the arch. The goal was to make it easier for people to get to the arch. It also aimed to connect the city better to the arch grounds. The winning design was chosen in 2010. The plans included making Kiener Plaza and the Old Courthouse better. They also added a park over Interstate 70 to connect the city to the arch. A new museum and easier access were also part of the plan. This project cost $380 million and was finished in 2018.
Work on the 'Park over the Highway' started in 2013. This part of the project created a beautiful landscaped area over Interstate 70. This new park helped connect the Gateway Arch to the Old Courthouse. Before, the highway separated them. This part of the project was completed in 2015.
The Visitor Center
The visitor center for the arch is located underground. It is directly below the arch, between its legs. It is a large space, about 70,000 square feet (6,500 square meters). Building the visitor center started at the same time as the arch. But it wasn't finished until 1976 because of money issues. Still, the center opened with some exhibits in 1967. You can enter the visitor center using ramps next to each leg of the arch.
The center has offices and waiting areas for the tram rides. It also has a museum called the Museum of Westward Expansion. There are also two theaters that show films about the arch. The museum has many exhibits about how the United States grew westward in the 1800s. It opened in 1977.
The Observation Area
When you get near the top of the arch, you leave the tram. Then you walk up a small slope to reach the observation area. This viewing deck is over 65 feet (20 meters) long and 7 feet (2.1 meters) wide. It can hold about 160 people at once. There are 16 small windows on each side. Each window is 7 by 27 inches (18 by 69 centimeters). From these windows, you can see up to 30 miles (48 kilometers) away! You can see the Mississippi River and Illinois to the east. To the west, you can see the city of St. Louis.
How Do You Get to the Top?
There are three ways to get to the top of the arch. First, there are two sets of emergency stairs, one in each leg. Each set has 1,076 steps! Second, there is a 12-person elevator that goes up to 372 feet (113 meters). The most popular way is the tram system, with one tram in each leg.
Each tram is like a train of eight small, round cars. Each car has five seats and a small window. Each tram can hold 40 passengers. Since there are two trams, 80 people can go up at the same time. Trams leave from the bottom every 10 minutes. The cars swing like a Ferris wheel as they go up and down the arch. This makes the ride unique! The trip to the top takes four minutes. The ride down takes three minutes.
In 1962, there wasn't enough money to build the tram system. But a group called the Bi-State Development Agency stepped in. They raised money to build and run the tram. They charged a $1 fee to ride to the top to pay back the money. They even had 45 reservations for seats before the tram was built!
The tram in the north leg started running in June 1967. At first, people had to wait up to three hours for a ride! So, in 1976, a reservation system was put in place. The south tram was finished by March 1968. Special pins were given to the first 100,000 passengers. By 2007, the trams had traveled 250,000 miles (400,000 kilometers). They had carried over 25 million passengers!
What Does the Arch Mean?
The Gateway Arch was built to honor the westward expansion of the United States. It represents the "pioneer spirit" of the people who explored the West. It also stands for those who keep exploring new frontiers today. The arch has become the most famous symbol of St. Louis. You can see it everywhere in the city's culture.
In 1968, many businesses in St. Louis used "Gateway" or "Arch" in their names. Gas stations and restaurants even had arch shapes. A local sports team was called the "Fighting Arches." Later, St. Louis Community College named its sports teams the "Archers." One park superintendent said that many visitors are amazed by the arch's size. But they don't always understand its deeper meaning. He said, "Too many people see it as just a symbol of the city of St. Louis."
The arch has also become a symbol for the entire State of Missouri. A special license plate was designed with the arch on it. It said "Gateway to the West." Money from selling these plates helps fund the museum and educational programs at the arch.
Images for kids
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The St. Louis riverfront after demolition
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Saarinen working with a model of the arch in 1957
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Arch construction in June 1965.
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The dedication plaque
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The arch is a weighted catenary—its legs are wider than its upper section.
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A view of the city of St. Louis from the observation room of the St. Louis Arch
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A young boy is looking out one of the observation windows at the city of St. Louis. Busch Stadium can be seen through the window.
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A view of the Mississippi River from the observation room of the St. Louis Arch.
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The arch in September 2007
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The Arch viewed from one of two reflecting pools
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Welds on the arch's skin seal gaps between 4-by-8-foot sheets of stainless steel. Graffiti is scratched on the lower five to seven feet of the monument.
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See also
In Spanish: Arco Gateway para niños
