Downtown in St. Louis, Missouri — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Curves Ahead
In front of you is the iconic Gateway Arch. The natural curve of a hanging chain—a catenary curve—inspired the Arch design. Curves also define the landscape. You may not notice them at first, but there are curves throughout the park. Walk along the gentle arc of the tree-lined paths and staircases. Look for the graceful sweep of the retaining walls and the flowing ribbon of the ponds' edges.
The Gateway Arch is 630 feet-high and 630 feet wide at its base.
A chain hangs from two points in an inverted arch shape.
Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Arts, Letters, Music • Landmarks.
Location. 38° 37.614′ N, 90° 11.048′ W. Marker is in St. Louis, Missouri. It is in Downtown. Marker can be reached from Walnut Street east of Memorial Drive when traveling east. Marker is located on the Gateway Arch trail, a couple of hundred feet north of the Arch, in Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Saint Louis MO 63102, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Speedy Delivery (here, next to this marker); Gateway to the West (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Action and Reaction (about 300 feet away); The Captains' Return (about 400 feet away); Miles of Steamboats (about 500 feet away); The Gateway Arch (about 500 feet away); Pierre Laclede (about 600 feet away); August 1, 1993 (about 700 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in St. Louis.
More about this marker. Marker is a large composite plaque, mounted horizontally on waist-high posts.
Also see . . .
1. The Construction of the Arch. Magnificent in its concept, majestic in its setting, unique in its execution, the Gateway Arch towers 630 feet above the banks of the Mississippi River, a part of the $30 million Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. The smooth, graceful lines of the Arch, designed by Eero Saarinen, also serve as one of three firsts in the history of engineering in this country, all in the City of St. Louis. (Submitted on August 28, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
2. The Catenary Art, Architecture, History, and Mathematics. A catenary is the name for a curve that occurs naturally when a chain of uniform density is allowed to hang. The word itself is derived from the Latin, catena, which means chain. (Submitted on August 28, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Credits. This page was last revised on January 30, 2023. It was originally submitted on August 28, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 258 times since then and 8 times this year. Last updated on October 15, 2018, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on August 28, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.