Images: The Gateway Arch turns 50
The Gateway Arch in St. Louis turned 50 on Wednesday, Oct. 28. The 630 foot tall arch is the world's tallest arch and was built as a monument to the westward expansion of the United States.
The Gateway Arch is lit with golden-colored lights just before sunrise, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2015, in St. Louis. The city is celebrating the moment when the final piece of the 630-foot-tall structure was put into place on Oct. 28, 1965.
Associated Press / David Carson, St. Louis Post Dispatch
St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay speaks during a brief ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of the completion of the Gateway Arch, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2015, in St. Louis. Slay recalled being a 10-year-old at the time, watching to see if the last piece would actually fit.
Associated Press
Creeper cranes cling to the tops of two spans of the Gateway Arch being built next to the Mississippi River, April 5, 1965, St. Louis, Mo. The $12 million arch, when completed, will be 630-feet high, 75-feet higher than the Washington Monument. Trains will carry visitors to an observation tower at the top of the arch. In October it will be dedicated to the pioneers who won the west.
Associated Press
The Gateway Arch is near completion as the two legs stretch to within six feet of their intended 630-foot height in St. Louis, Mo., Sept. 25, 1965. The St. Louis Courthouse can be seen at left.
Associated Press
In this photo made Friday, Oct. 23, 2015, the 630-foot-tall Gateway Arch rises above trees in St. Louis. The wicket-looking landmark, the nation's tallest man-made monument and the centerpiece of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial grounds, cost less than $15 million to build after construction began in early 1963 and is now undergoing an ambitious $380 million renovation.
Associated Press
In this photo made Friday, Oct. 23, 2015, welds are seen going up the south leg of the stainless steel Gateway Arch in St. Louis. By most accounts, the arch has aged relatively gracefully over its 50 years. Last year climbers were sent rappelling down the landmark's legs to take samples of mysterious stains on the arch's outer skin and concluded they were caused by the landmark's original construction as well as residue accumulation and pose no structural risk.
Associated Press
In this photo made Friday, Oct. 23, 2015, Gareth Cross, of Houston, takes a photo while standing at the south leg of the Gateway Arch in St. Louis. The Gateway Arch officially celebrates its 50th birthday on Wednesday, marking a half century since workers gingerly hoisted into place the final stainless steel section atop the 630-foot-tall structure.
Associated Press
A St. Louis City mounted police officer patrols the grounds of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Gateway Arch in St. Louis in this Sept. 2001 photo. Authorities are preparing to permanently illuminate the Arch at night.
Associated Press
Fireworks light up the night sky behind the Gateway Arch and the Old Courthouse Monday, July 4, 2011, in St. Louis.
Associated Press
View of St. Louis' Gateway Arch, rising on the Mississippi riverfront where the city was founded 200 years ago by Pierre Laclede, taken from a downtown building in St. Louis on June 17, 1964..
Associated Press
Creeper cranes cling to the tops of two spans of the Gateway Arch being built next to the Mississippi River, April 5, 1965, St. Louis, Mo. The $12 million arch, when completed, will be 630-feet high, 75-feet higher than the Washington Monument. Trains will carry visitors to an observation tower at the top of the arch. In October it will be dedicated to the pioneers who won the west.
Associated Press
Creeper cranes cling to the tops of two spans of the Gateway Arch being built next to the Mississippi River, April 5, 1965, St. Louis, Mo. The $12 million arch, when completed, will be 630-feet high, 75-feet higher than the Washington Monument. Trains will carry visitors to an observation tower at the top of the arch. In October it will be dedicated to the pioneers who won the west.
Associated Press
Workmen atop the 630 foot high Gateway Arch bring the keystone section into place to complete the nations tallest monument, Oct. 28, 1965, St. Louis, Mo. The crane in the background lifted the 10 ton stainless steel section. The Mississippi River is to the right.
Associated Press
The 630-foot, stainless-steel Gateway Arch, shown from the downtown area of St. Louis, Missouri, on Oct. 2, 1967.
Associated Press
St. Louis' famed Gateway Arch with the Mississippi River as viewed Thursday, Oct. 20, 2005, is among the finest monuments in the world and is part of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial park. The shimmering steel Arch celebrates its 40th anniversary Friday.
Associated Press
The shadow from the Gateway Arch casts a long shadow over the grounds of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial on it's 40th birthday Friday, Oct. 28, 2005, in St. Louis.
Associated Press
A full moon rises behind downtown St. Louis buildings and the Gateway Arch Friday, Oct. 6, 2006. The 630-foot-tall stainless steel arch stands as a memorial to westward expansion.
Associated Press
Luke Fife, 6, of Middleburg, Fla., uses a telescope to look down the Mississippi River while on a visit to the Gateway Arch with his family Tuesday, July 24, 2007, in St. Louis. One of the two trams that shuttle tourists to the top of the 630-foot (192-meter) monument will remain closed through the rest of the summer, after a snapped cable caused a power outage that trapped roughly 200 people inside the landmark for up to three hours Saturday night.
Associated Press
Completion of interior work on Busch Memorial Stadium is now underway in preparation for the official dedication on May 8, 1966. The first St. Louis Cardinal game will be played in the new stadium on May 2, 1966 in St. Louis. Designed by Edward Durrell Stone, the stadium promises to be as much a magnet to downtown as the Gateway Arch. Supporting facilities will include shops, restaurants and parking garages to accommodate 7,400 automobiles.
Associated Press
Nine-time Grammy award-winner and Missouri native Sheryl Crow performs during a charity concert benefiting Stand Up to Cancer Saturday, July 11, 2009, under the Gateway Arch in St. Louis. The concert is one of the events surrounding MLB's All-Star game which will be held Tuesday in St. Louis.
Associated Press
Discolorations are seen about half way up the north leg of the Gateway Arch Monday, Sept. 20, 2010, in St. Louis. The National Park Service has awarded a contract for a structural study of the structure after corrosion problems were reported in the 45-year-old, 630-foot-tall monument to westward expansion.
Associated Press
Workmen close an eight-foot gap in Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Oct. 28, 1965 as they insert a 10-ton keystone, completing three years of construction. A hydraulic jack atop the 630-foot arch forced the structure's legs apart for installation. The arch commemorates the Gateway to the West.
Associated Press
A sixty-ton steel strut is lifted into place at St. Louis, joining the two towers of the Gateway to the West arch over looking the Mississippi River, June 17, 1965. The arch will be dedicated at the start of St. Louis' bicentennial.
Associated Press
The Gateway Arch and downtown St. Louis are seen as the sun sets Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2014.
Associated Press
A flock of birds fly past the Gateway Arch Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2015, in St. Louis.
Associated Press
Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked.
If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.