In March of the same year, joint resolutions proposed the establishment of a federal commission to develop the memorial. from Third Street east to the present elevated railroad.' In January 1934, Senator Bennett Champ Clark and Representative John Cochran introduced to Congress an appropriation bill seeking $30 million for the memorial, but the bill failed to garner support due to the large amount of money solicited. They also engaged Congress by planning budgets and preparing bills, in addition to researching ownership of the land they had chosen, 'approximately one-half mile in length. Committee members began to raise public awareness by organizing fundraisers and writing pamphlets. The project was expected to create 5,000 jobs for three to four years.

The Jefferson memorial idea emerged amid the economic disarray of the Great Depression and promised new jobs. The suggestion to renew the riverfront was not original, as previous projects were attempted but lacked popularity. It called upon the federal government to foot three-quarters of the bill ($22.5 million). The association expected that $30 million would be needed to undertake the construction of such a monument (about $488 million in 2020 dollars). Smith's daughter SaLees related that when 'people would tell him we needed more practical things', he would respond that 'spiritual things' were equally important. Many locals did not approve of depleting public funds for the cause. The association's goal was to create: Ī suitable and permanent public memorial to the men who made possible the western territorial expansion of the United States, particularly President Jefferson, his aides Livingston and Monroe, the great explorers, Lewis and Clark, and the hardy hunters, trappers, frontiersmen and pioneers who contributed to the territorial expansion and development of these United States, and thereby to bring before the public of this and future generations the history of our development and induce familiarity with the patriotic accomplishments of these great builders of our country. Smith was appointed chairman and Dickmann vice chairman. They sanctioned the proposal, and the nonprofit Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Association (JNEMA-pronounced 'Jenny May') was formed. He communicated his idea to mayor Bernard Dickmann, who on December 15, 1933, raised it in a meeting with city leaders. Louis riverfront area and envisioned that building a memorial there would both revive the riverfront and stimulate the economy. Louis from the George Rogers Clark National Historical Park in Vincennes, Indiana, saw the St. See also: History of the Gateway Arch National Park Inception and funding (1933–1935) Īround late 1933, civic leader Luther Ely Smith, returning to St. Louis on the west bank of the Mississippi River. It is located at the site of the founding of St. The monument opened to the public on June 10, 1967. The Arch was designed by Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen in 1947 construction began on February 12, 1963, and was completed on Octo at an overall cost of $13 million (equivalent to $83 million in 2018). Louis, as well as a popular tourist destination. Built as a monument to the westward expansion of the United States and officially dedicated to 'the American people', the Arch, commonly referred to as 'The Gateway to the West', is a National Historic Landmark in Gateway Arch National Park and has become an internationally recognized symbol of St. Some sources consider it the tallest man-made monument in the Western Hemisphere. Clad in stainless steel and built in the form of a weighted catenary arch, it is the world's tallest arch and Missouri's tallest accessible building.

The Gateway Arch is a 630-foot (192 m) tall monument in St.

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