What is the name of the 630-foot stainless steel arch in St. Louis, Missouri?

The 630-foot stainless steel arch in St. Louis, Missouri, is the Gateway Arch.

Designed by Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen, the monument commemorates St. Louis’s role as a gateway to westward expansion in the United States. Construction began in 1963 and was completed in 1965; the Arch was formally dedicated in 1967. Its shape is based on a weighted catenary curve, the same mathematical form created by a hanging chain.

The Gateway Arch is 630 feet tall and 630 feet wide, making it both the tallest arch and the tallest stainless-steel monument in the world. Its legs contain a unique tram system that carries visitors to an observation deck near the top. The structure is made from 142 prefabricated stainless-steel sections, each filled with concrete and reinforced internally.

A common mix-up is confusing the Arch with a traditional stone monument or bridge. It is a freestanding memorial, not a passageway over a road or river. It stands beside the Mississippi River in Gateway Arch National Park, formerly Jefferson National Expansion Memorial.