There are now plans underway to expand the grounds and visitor center at the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri. This USD $380 million project received lots of public support with voters approving a 2013 local ballot proposition to finance the restoration with $85 million in sales tax revenue. An additional $250 million was raised in 36 months from private donations, and the balance of the budget was raised from federal and state grants.
The 630-foot-high arch, designed in 1947 by Eero Saarinen and completed in 1965, is constructed out of stainless steel and stands at the center of the 91-acre Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. After more than two decades of discussion, planning and design, the restoration is intended to significantly improve access to this citys downtown, and reverse 12 years of steadily diminishing attendance.
More than 1.2 million people visited the arch last year, the lowest number since it opened in 1967, according to National Park Service figures. Formerly, the arch drew as many as four million visitors annually, making it one of the most popular National Park Service attractions.
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