A new look for the urban national park surrounding one of the city?s most famous symbols When St. Louis citizens witnessed the opening ceremonies for the city?s famous Arch in 1967, it was billed as a monument to westward expansion. Next summer, when a redesign of the parklands surrounding the famous monument have their grand opening, the focus will be squarely on the city and how its evolved.
Set to open next July during the annual Fair St. Louis, the $380 million renovation of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial and surrounding parks and riverfront seeks to improve the ?Arch experience,? making the famed riverfront and Eero Saarinen-designed steel arch more accessible to St. Louisans and visitors alike. Overseen by a non-profit called the Gateway Arch Park Foundation, the project, formerly called CityArchRiver, aims to leverage the waterfront and better connect it with downtown. The work of landscape architect firm Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, which previously designed Brooklyn Bridge Park and Maggie Daley Park in Chicago, this renovation represents a unique public-private partnership that involves collaboration between developers, the city, and multiple parks departments, including St. Louis, Missouri, and the National Park Service. Private funding for the endeavor totaled $221 million, the largest-ever private donation to a national park, fitting considering how important the Arch and grounds have become to the city?s image.

The ...