Jefferson National Expansion Administrative History

¹It should be noted that Jefferson National Expansion Memorial is not, however, designated a National Historic Site under National Park Service nomenclature. The first site with that designation was Salem Maritime National Historic Site, created under an order of the Secretary of the Interior dated March 17, 1938. The St. Louis park is properly designated by the simple title Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. See the memorandum from NPS Chief Historian Edwin Bearss and Bureau Historian Barry Mackintosh to Superintendent Jerry Schober dated March 17, 1986 for further details; copy in Jefferson National Expansion Memorial (JEFF) Files H1417(418).

²A discussion of the controversy over rehabilitating or preserving the original riverfront buildings may be found in the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Administrative History, 1935-1980, by Sharon A. Brown, JEFF, 1984.

³See Cities Reborn, published by the Urban Land Institute in 1986. Between 1958 and 1986, $3,224,230,000 was spent on revitalizing the downtown St. Louis area, with $1,682,511,000 of this being spent between 1980 and 1986; see pp. 188-189. The book goes on to state: "Downtown St. Louis is clearly the central focus of the city's overall revitalization efforts. The Gateway Arch and Busch Stadium, two downtown projects built in the mid-1960s, ushered in a fertile period of revitalization that St. Louis has enjoyed for more than 20 years. Economic activity for the city and the region is concentrated in the downtown [area]; also, the downtown is the principal destination of visitors from outside the city. Thus, the central business district has played an extremely important role as the focal area for revitalization."

⁴George B. Hartzog, Jr. served as the superintendent of Jefferson National Expansion Memorial from December 1958 to August 1962. He was director of the National Park Service from January 1, 1964 to December 31, 1972. For a better understanding of George Hartzog, his methods of running the National Park Service and his concept of urban park areas, see Battling for the National Parks by George B. Hartzog, Jr., Mt. Kisco, N.Y.: Moyer Bell Ltd., 1988. One of Hartzog's three stated goals as director was to "make [the Park Service's] programs and its parks relevant to an urban America." (p. 91).

⁵Interview with former JEFF Superintendent Jerry Schober, May 28, 1992, conducted by JEFF Historian Bob Moore.

⁶See "Schober To Run County Parks," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 11, 1991, and "Schober Favors Arch For VP Fair," Ibid., July 14, 1991. Schober's retirement was effective as of July 27, 1991.