St Louis reopens updated Gateway Arch Museum

The Gateway Arch is arguably even more famous than its home of St. Louis, Missouri.

The architectural marvel, which was built in 1965 and is still the highest arch in the world, has become one of the most recognizable symbols of the United States.

And now, the arch just became more accessible than ever – in a variety of ways.

In addition to making the arch and its park easier to access by foot or bike instead of by car, the Gateway Arch Museum has been completely rethought to address a new generation of citizens.

It will open to the public on July 3, 2018, just ahead of St. Louis’ annual Independence Day festivities.

“People talk about the Gateway Arch the way they talk about the pyramids or the Eiffel Tower,” Eric Moraczewski, executive director at the Gateway Arch Park Foundation, told CNN Travel.

When Moraczewski started his job, he immediately knew the museum was due for a makeover. Many of the exhibits were old and out of date, with animatronic versions of explorers Lewis and Clark and taxidermied buffaloes that had damaged by years of grabby tourist hands.

There also wasn’t much information about the arch itself or how it was built, which was the number one thing many visitors had questions about.

Reimagining an icon

The Gateway Arch is 630 feet (192 meters) tall.

Now, the sleeker, streamlined museum tells a more complete story of American history from a broader range of perspectives, with exhibits timelines going through 1965, when the arch was built, rather than simply talking about the 1800s.

“This museum now tells the story St. Louis played in the westward expansion of this country,” Moraczewski explains.

The rethought museum no longer includes multiple points of view. For example, one exhibit about the concept of manifest destiny has three potential avenues – one labeled “the west was won,” one “the west was stolen,” and the third “the north was stolen.”

From there, visitors can learn not just about Native American communities but about the Mexican-American War, which took place between 1846 to 1848 and is often studied much less in American public schools than the U.S. Civil War two decades later.

“Early on, [a member of] one of the local tribes here said, ‘tell history, do not glorify history,’ and that has been one of our mottos,” Moraczewski says. “Just because you read something in a history book does not mean that’s how everybody felt about it. We can learn a lesson today about what happened in the past.”

Another example of telling, but not glorifying, history: the park is already home to a memorial in honor of Dred Scott, a slave who sued for his freedom.

And context for the arch is key – visitors can now learn about the other four projects that were proposed for the area and decide for themselves which one they would have chosen.

The Gateway Arch: Located in St. Louis, Missouri, this sweeping silver structure has become an iconic symbol of the United States.

What to know: The arch debuted to the public in 1965 and averages 2.6 million annual visitors, most of whom are from the United States.

Walk on by: A new above-ground walkway has made it easier to access the arch and its namesake park without having a car.

The museum: The newly redesigned Gateway Arch Museum includes interactive exhibits and a broader range of voices.

Digging in: The museum now includes the history of the arch itself, displaying some of the artifacts found during the arch's groundbreaking.

How to visit: The new museum and park open to the public on July 4, 2018, aka Independence Day.

The structure: The arch was designed by Eero Saarinen, one of the stars of midcentury design.

The totals: All in all, the new museum and park cost $380 million and took five years to complete.

The amazing Gateway Arch in St. Louis

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The arch was created by famed Finnish architect Eero Saarinen, whose Jet Age terminal for TWA Airlines at New York’s JFK airport is being converted into a hotel due to open in late 2018.

The project was Saarinen’s first major solo success and helped make him into a star.

Walking into the future

The park's new walkway is an attraction in its own right.

Beyond upgrading the museum, there were several other modernization efforts that Moraczewski and his team worked on.

Gateway Arch Park, which is part of the U.S. national parks system, averages 2.6 million visitors per year. However, that number had tapered off over the last few years, leading the park’s staff to look into things that were keeping people from visiting.

Number one: the park was only accessible by car or by a bridge over a major highway, which some travelers saw as a deterrent and also led to a less friendly experience.

The park foundation decided to construct a safe, easy walkway that would not just physically be safer to access but would help get visitors in the mindset to experience the park – not just the arch.

Also, the existing park below the arch has been upgraded to make it easier to host festivals, events, concerts and the like.

Altogether, the changes to the park and museum cost $380 million and took five years to complete.