Eero Saarinen designed the Gateway to the West St. Louis arch on the bank of the Mississippi river. Completed in 1965, it is one of the Finnish master's finest works of expressionist symbolism. The entire $13m project is dedicated to framing a view from the city to the west. The Capital building is connected by its mall as an axis to the vast frame, shining like a white temple in the midst of great skyscrapers. The Mississippi was historically a symbol of the edge of untamed wilderness and America's yearning for completeness. The promise of liberty, the grandness of architecture and technological innovation, a shining city on a hill was the promise.
The 630ft high steel arch is an equilateral triangle in section. Stairs lead to an underground entrance, with a tram that leads through a hollow passage in the arch. Horizontal slits of windows ribbon on the sides of this passageway, giving an experience of light streaming into dark space, which is characteristic for Saarinen.
Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates was recently chosen to revitalize the parkland surrounding the St. Louis Arch.
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