Gateway Arch Drawings

 

Gateway Arch Drawings, 1938-1987

Finding Aid by Margaret Bergen
August 1993

INTRODUCTION TO THE COLLECTION

This collection contains drawings created by Eero Saarinen and Associates, MacDonald Construction Co., and other firms, of the Gateway Arch and other areas which make up the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. The majority of these are construction drawings, although there are some other types such as as-built, master plans, etc. Drawings include the Gateway Arch itself, the Visitor Center, the Arch grounds, and the area surrounding the JNEM, including modifications of transportation routes to allow access to the Memorial. The subjects covered include the Arch, passenger conveyance or elevator drawings, drainage, east side extension, electric, plumbing, exhibits, fire protection, general development, general surveys, grading and topography, heating and air-conditioning, ventilating, utilities, insulation, irrigation, land use plans, landscaping, lighting, maintenance buildings, master plans, the entrance to the monument, parking, paving, railroad relocation, ramps, and roads and highways. These drawings have been sorted by format and then by subject. They were then placed in oversized map cases in the collection room. Complete descriptions of each drawing were put into a computer database.

The following is a brief chronology which will help to put the drawings into context:

  • May 1942 - Demolition in the park area completed.
  • May-July 1944 - Demolition of elevated tracks proposed.
  • June 1946 - Parking project on riverfront opens.
  • February 1948 - Eero Saarinen wins architectural competition.
  • July-September 1948 - Topographic survey and contour map done by U.S. Engineers.
  • December 1948-February 1949 - Core borings made by U.S. Engineers.
  • January 1949 - The Terminal Railroad Association (TRRA) abandons plan for removal of tracks and offers substitute plan to place tracks on embankments.
  • March 1951 - Agreement between the city and the Department of the Interior for temporary landscaping.
  • October 1957 - Announcement of revised plan with shortened railroad tunnel and without the Museum of Architecture and reproductions of early St. Louis buildings.
  • June 1959 - Contract for railroad relocation project awarded to MacDonald Construction Company.
  • January 1961 - Contract for excavation and levee redevelopment awarded to MacDonald Construction Company.
  • March 1962 - Contract for construction of Gateway Arch and Visitor Center shell awarded to MacDonald Construction Company.
  • March 1962 - Cooperative agreement between NPS and Bi-State providing for construction and operation of the transportation system in the Gateway Arch.
  • July 1962 - Contract for installation of transportation system signed by NPS, Bi-State, and MacDonald Construction.
  • October 1965 - Contract for interior finishes awarded to Hoel-Steffen Construction Company.
  • November 1972 - Contract for planting awarded to Suburban Tree Service.

Information obtained from this collection must be properly cited, whether used in publication or in other formats. A citation suggested for this collection is:

National Park Service
Gateway Arch National Park Archives
Gateway Arch Drawings, 1938-1987
Box___, Folder___

Researchers are advised that before records, photographs, and any other unpublished materials from this collection can be published or exhibited, permission from the National Park Service must be obtained in writing.

 

Last updated: June 18, 2025

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