OCTOBER 28

On this date in 1965, forty-eight years ago, the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri was topped out and completed.  Construction had begun in February 1963.  It is a monument to the westward movement of peoples in the United States - much of which occurred through the St. Louis area.  

The Arch, designed by the famous architect Eero Saarinen and engineer Hannskarl Bandel in 1947, is the tallest man-made monument in the United States and the tallest arch in the world.  It is 630 feet high and 630 feet wide covered in stainless steel. Inside are stairways, elevators and two eight-pod trams visitors can use to reach the heights.  The pods of the tram swivel like Ferris-wheel cars.

It is a marvel.  St. Louis is a lucky city to have it.  I think I'll run over there to see it this Fall.

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