Gateway Arch National Park

Gateway Arch National Park occupies the St. Louis riverfront and is anchored by the 630-foot stainless-steel Gateway Arch, a landmark of mid-20th-century design. The Arch was designed by Eero Saarinen and is the centerpiece of the park’s museum and riverfront spaces.

The Arch itself contains a tram system that takes visitors to a small observation chamber at the top, and an underground museum explains the Arch’s construction and the theme of westward expansion. The park also includes landscaped plazas and access to riverfront walks and riverboat excursions.

A number of historic buildings sit within the park complex, most prominently the 19th-century Old Courthouse directly adjacent to the Arch. The site was created to commemorate themes of exploration and expansion and has since been redeveloped to link museum spaces, the riverfront, and downtown St. Louis.

The park is on the west bank of the Mississippi River in downtown St. Louis, immediately adjacent to the city’s central business district and facing Illinois across the river. The riverfront location makes the Arch visible from many approaches to the city.

• Height and observation access: Stands 630 feet tall and is built of stainless steel; a tram carries visitors to a small observation chamber at the apex with narrow windows and limited capacity.
• Location and museum: The site includes an underground museum beneath the plaza and sits directly on the St. Louis riverfront, adjacent to the historic Old Courthouse and downtown transport links.

What to See #

• The Gateway Arch: The 630-foot stainless-steel arch designed by architect Eero Saarinen, forming a catenary curve and containing a small observation chamber at the top reached by a tram system.
• Museum at Gateway Arch: An underground museum beneath the Arch that interprets westward expansion, the Arch's design and construction, and regional history, with exhibits and audio-visual displays.
• Old Courthouse: The historic Old Courthouse immediately west of the Arch, a 19th-century federal courthouse closely associated with St. Louis history and open to visitors.
• Park grounds and riverfront: The riverfront parklands and plazas along the Mississippi River that provide river views, sidewalks, and access to riverboat excursions and downtown St. Louis.