The Gateway Arch- a new paradigm

The St Louis Gateway Arch- a new paradigm


Always design a thing by considering it in its next larger context - a chair in a room, a room in a house, a house in an environment, an environment in a city plan. Eero Saarinen


When the Gateway Arch was first finished, I was 7 years old and I can remember the St Louis Riverfront as a fun and fascinating place. Everyone was excited of course about the enormous stainless steel monument that now defined our skyline, but I also remember the fun things that were down by the river as well. First and foremost was the Admiral, the touring riverboat that now sits forever docked as the President Casino. I remember museums, restaurants, the ill-fated Santa Maria and the river itself.

By the time I became a parent myself, the riverfront was one of the last places that I would consider taking my kids. Sure the Arch is still there, but a lot of people take it for granted. And the riverfront itself has fallen on hard times.

The Admiral made its last cruise, the Santa Maria sunk, the McDonald's riverboat restaurant went out of business, the USS Inaugural was a casualty of the flood of 1993, and nothing came in to replace any of them. The riverfront has become as forgotten as it was back in 1936, when all of the planning to create the Arch in the first place began. For the last 20 years we've been talking about what to do about it.

Back in the 90's there was talk about an aquarium at the riverfront, but nothing ever came of it. In 2005 came a proposal to build floating islands, a swimming pool and an ice skating rink, but it was found to be unfeasible. And now in 2010 come the new design contest from the National Park Service that could possibly do the Arch grounds and the city around them justice.

While other cities like Chicago, Boston and Memphis have made great use of their waterfront property, St Louis still seems at a loss as to what to do with its prime real estate. Part of the problem has to do, I think, with the fractured nature of the St Louis community (city/county, Missouri/Illinois, St Charles/everybody else). But part of it, I think has to do with the paradigm, or way of seeing, the arch itself.

Just what does the Arch symbolize to you? A cool national monument? A celebration of manifest destiny and the 19th century? A hamburger chain? An architectural masterpiece? The arch may symbolize something entirely different to an American Indian, a tourist, or an architect trying to design an attraction to complement it.

The most common association with an arch in history is as a gateway or passageway. Arches have been used extensively in doors, monuments, bridges and passageways, all that lead from one destination to another.

St Louis became known as the Gateway to the West because of its location, but I submit that using that name in the 21st century is outdated and obsolete. The west has long ago been settled and we are all one global village now thanks to the Internet and new technologies. If anything, the tables have turned and those from the west and east of us are looking at us as a new frontier for buying their products.

Rather than being the Gateway to the West, I prefer to look at the Arch as simply the Gateway. A gateway from the past to the future. A gateway from what was to what could be. A place to appreciate and learn from history and reflect on what we want for our futures.

I think that St Louis could use a new paradigm for itself going into this century. According to an online poll, nine of the top ten local business stories for the region for the last decade involved plants closing or local companies being bought out. (Thank goodness for Express Scripts)

Somehow St Louis could use a boost of imagination to create the next generation of businesses that will define its uniqueness in 50 years. I think that this Arch project and the national attention that it could receive is a unique opportunity to change the way America thinks of us, probably the best opportunity in most of our lifetimes

I have my own proposal for the Arch grounds. No, I'm not an architect but I love to think about things that could be. You can see my idea at http://fountasia.blogspot.com/ . Let the ideas flow like a fountain. The Arch and the city it defines deserve the best that we can come up with.

FOUNTASIA

There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of the people you love. When you learn to tap into this source, you will truly have defeated age.~ Sophia Loren

FOUNTASIA

On the posts that follow are concept ideas for my way to improve the Arch grounds. I am not an architect nor do I pretend to be one, but as a lifelong St Louisan I've grown to care a great deal about this community and its history.

The name of my proposal could be the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial water sculpture park, but I just like to call it Fountasia (with apologies to one of my inspirations, Walt Disney).

This concept changes the Arch and its grounds in three basic ways:

1- Instead of focusing on the 19th century as the current museum does, it focuses on the whole totality of St Louis history, including 8 historical periods that are of great note. I would propose doubling the size of the underground museum to include all 8 periods of history in Midwestern and St Louis development. I'd like to expand the focus as much as possible to showcase how and why St Louis developed into the center of Mississippi Valley development.

2- I utilize fountains as a means to make a statement with this concept. Fountains make this concept unique in all the world. Ever since man has walked the earth, waterfront property has been the most desirable- from lakefronts to beaches to river valleys. Water has a calming and relaxing effect for people, and has been used by man and nature to accomplish incredible and inspiring things. People travel from miles around to see Niagara falls, the Lake of the Ozarks, any sandy oceanfront beach, the Current River, and many more aquatic attractions. Number one tourist destinations such as Walt Disney World and Las Vegas incorporate water and fountains into much of their presentations to both entertain and relax their guests.

St Louis is a natural for such a fountain park because its historical reliance on rivers and the confluence of the two mightiest in the country, the Mississippi and Missouri. We are the home to the Gateway Geyser, the tallest fountain in America and the second tallest in the world. St Louis is just across the state from another city that has gained a worldwide reputation as a city of fountains, Kansas City. And we have proven that creativity can pay off with the addition of the City Garden in 2009, and the City Museum in 1997, two unique attractions that have helped make downtown an interesting destination.

3- This concept would add some things to do around the river that don't involve gambling. It would inspire at least 3 restaurants and 3 interactive activities, all of which would generate funds. It will provide things that downtown has needed for a long, long time such as an urban fishing pond, a children's fountain, and a way to get from downtown to the riverfront and then a way to get from the St Louis Riverfront over to the East side, incorporating all three sections into one destination.

Best of all it will make the Riverfront interesting and attractive again, complementing the majestic arch with something that Eero Saarinen and the city founders would be proud of. It could attract St Louisans and tourists alike to reflect about the Gateway that this land represents and the inspiration that was gained by those that passed by it.

LINKS:

http://www.cityarchrivercompetition.org/

http://www.nps.gov/jeff/index.htm

1- 1 BILLION BC- ST FRANCOIS FALLS

1- 1 BILLION YEARS BC- ST FRANCOIS FALLS
The origins of St Louis and the entire Mississippi Valley region was determined by the
formation of the St Francois Mountains during the Precambrian Era. These ancient mountains,
older than the Rockies and the Appalachians combined, can still be seen just South of St Louis
in the gateway to the Ozarks. Some of the oldest Igneous rock exposures in North America exist there.

Because these mountains were first, growing where they were, they formed a bottleneck
right in the middle of the country, with the Appalachians on one side, the Rockies on the other, and St Louis right in the middle.

Very few Midwesterners know of the existance of these ancient mountains or their influence on history. St Louis's prominence in river transportation owes its existance to the natural geological influence these mountains had on the Mississippi, Missouri and Ohio River valleys.

In commemoration of this point in history, I would like to propose an artificial waterfall be built
down by the riverfront. Waterfalls are nature's first and most impressive fountain, and people have been known to travel long and far just to look at them. (i.e. Niagara Falls or Yosemite Falls)

It would be great to see something at least 2 or 3 stories tall with a natural setting, something manageable yet inspiring. There could even be an upscale restaurant near the waterfall so that diners could enjoy the view.

2- 15,000 BC -THE FISH CAPITOL

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15,000 BC- THE FISH CAPITOL

The first American Indian settlers were thought to have reached this area around 12,000 BC. Before then, the Mississippi Valley region was totally wild- knowing only birds, mammals, and the kings of the Mississippi, the fish. Fish of all shapes and sizes travelled the length of the watershed, filling up the lakes and rivers and serving as a vital link to the food chain that remains today.

The purpose of this exhibit is to finally give the downtown St Louis area a fishing pond where people of all ages and economic backgrounds can go and enjoy one of America's number one recreational activities, fishing. For many years a downtown pond project, known as Chouteau's pond, has been debated with nothing coming of it. This natural setting could satisfy some of that demand.

Ideally the pond will be located on the Illinois side of the river, adjacent to Malcolm Martin park, possibly tied in with the Gateway Geyser. It should have a very natural look to it with shade, trees, and of course, a fountain in the center.

The fishing pond could feature pictures, nature and fishing classes, and possibly hatcheries of the region's most significant native fish, including Catfish, Crappie, Trout, and Bass. The public would be invited to take home fish that they catch for a fee, and/or a sponsor could be found like the Department of Conservation or Bass Pro Shops who might help keep the pond stocked and sell bait and tackle to the public.

Fishing is one of the nation's top leisure activities, as 40 million people participate in it- more than golf and tennis combined. This pond would complement the existing Fish St Louis program that touts suburban fishing in the Metro St Louis area. It could educate, entertain, and feed people like no other urban attraction.

3- 1000 AD -MOUND CITY

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1000 AD- MOUND CITY

With this attraction we attempt to honor the mysterious city of Cahokia, one of the most underutilized tourist attractions in the St Louis area. The Mississippian Indians who lived in this area constructed an amazing city of earthen mounds and a civilization of at one time 20,000 people- larger than any in North America and rivaling the largest cities of Europe at the time.

The Mound Builders constructed an amazingly advanced civilization for the time, utilizing
advanced astronomy, agriculture, and economics. After peaking around 1250 AD, the culture mysteriously declined and disappeared, so much so that no record of it existed once the first European explorers visited the area in the 17th century. The mystery of what happened to this metropolis centers around things that affect us today, war, political strife, climate change, and overuse of resources.

Built on the Illinois side of the Mississippi, this exhibit will honor this great and mysterious people with a small but faithful recreation of the mounds at their peak, complete with a fountain that will emphasize how important the rivers were to these people in increasing their trade and influence with areas both north and south. Actors could be hired to act out what archeologists believe the indians to be like.

A simple, but respectful exhibit should showcase this great lost city and its compelling story. It also can reinforce what a central and pivotal location St Louis

4- 1764- THE FOUNDER'S FOUNTAIN

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1764- THE FOUNDERS FOUNTAIN

Very little is known about Pierre Laclede, the founder of St Louis, and though many things share his name, few tributes to hime exist in the city. Little is known about how he found his way from France to the shores of St Louis, and no one knows where his body lies, somewhere at the bottom of the Mississippi River. Laclede and a small group of men founded and mapped out a trading post near the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers naming it after King Louis XIV of France.

The only current monument to Pierre Laclede is the statue that bears his name near city hall (Above). The district that bears his name, Laclede's Landing, just to the North of the Arch, but has no permanent memorials to commemorate him. This has always been a puzzling slight and a missed opportunity to showcase the history and French flavor that Pierre Laclede represents.

Long overdue is a memorial by the Mississippi River to commemorate Pierre Laclede. I would suggest a simple statue and fountain, complete with historical plaques and some 18th century artifacts. It should be at the base of Laclede's Landing right next to the river, on Leonore K Sullivan Boulevard. It should have three flags, one for France, one for Spain , and
one for the USA, to symbolize the early governors of the village of St Louis in its first 25 years.

It would be fitting if a French restaurant would open near the site of the memorial perhaps with a French flag and/or copy of the famous statue of Louis XIV that stands atop Art Hill.

5- 1803- LOUISIANA PURCHASE MEMORIAL

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1803- LOUISIANA PURCHASE MEMORIAL
The Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Park, home of the Arch, was originally to honor Thomas Jefferson and his fateful purchase of the Louisiana Territories in 1803.
When Robert Livingston went to Paris in 1803 all he intended to negotiate for was the
port of New Orleans and the small areas around it. But Napoleon, in need of money to fund European wars and having had enough of the New World, wanted to sell the entire Louisiana Territory, which Livingston and Jefferson ended getting as a bonus at a bargain basement price.

Had this purchase never happened, it is quite possible that St Louisans would have continued speaking French and that a different country would have evolved, (or been absorbed into Canada), and the United States would never have been as powerful and influential as it eventually became.

The purchase of the Louisiana Territorities more than doubled the area of the United States and cemented its destiny into a global power with a dominant piece of the resources of North America, especially the vital river systems of the Mississippi and the Missouri. This purchase made river commerce much easier, making St Louis (along with New Orleans) the centers of the developing nation.

Only once the purchase was completed did Jefferson decide to hire Lewis and Clark to explore the new territory via the great rivers that make up its heartland.

The museum of Westward expansion beneath the Arch does a great job in detailing the era of the Louisiana Purchase and the century that followed it, but something also is needed above ground to focus solely on the Purchase and its immense impact.

To commemorate the Louisiana Purchase, a large relief map of the United States could be constructed near the arch grounds. On the East would be a large statue of Thomas Jefferson, and on the West would be a statue of Lewis and Clark. In between, out of reach of the public, will be a re-creation of the Louisiana territory. I envision a series of fountains tracing the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers and creating a river of their own, culminating in the largest fountain at the base near New Orleans.

To see a scale model of this new land and how it changed the US as it stood at 1803 will help to emphasize how important this transaction was to our history and culture. People standing on all four sides and looking in on the new territories might gain an appreciation for what the settlers were looking at themselves way back then.