Gateway Arch Hours

jasonblack · PostMar 05, 2010#12010-03-05T03:52+00:00

During her daily litany of random questions, my six-year old got to asking why people think the Arch is so neat and which is better, the Arch of the Eiffel Tower. In part, my answer was that the Eiffel Tower has the better view due to visibility on all four sides and the benefit of being in the middle of a well-illuminated city. Thinking further on the latter part of my answer, I realized that, while I've been up in the Eiffel Tower at night, I've never been in the Arch at night.

Off to gatewayarch.com I went to check the hours of operation. Sure enough, their summers hours end at 9:10pm. Considering that it doesn't get dark until 8ish, there is a very thin window of opportunity for after-dark visitation.

Has it ever remained open later than this? Couldn't we get the NPS to cut us a break and give us an extra hour or two to get our visitors up there to look at the cityscape. They could just put up 'out of order' signs on the east-facing windows (snicker).

Wouldn't this help the riverfront vendors and downtown restaurants? Dramatic city views are always better at night.

gary kreie · PostMar 05, 2010#22010-03-05T15:30+00:00

While we're at it, erect an all-glass cube on top just for the summer with edges set back so it wouldn't be visible from below. Then let people go up through the trap door in the ceiling into the cube to really get a view.

lukethedrifter · PostMar 05, 2010#32010-03-05T15:39+00:00

The view from the bar at the top of the John Hancock building is really awesome at night.

Alex Ihnen · PostMar 05, 2010#42010-03-05T15:41+00:00

^ That's actually funny.

Anyway, I don't think the hours necessarily need to be extended. IF there were hundreds of people still waiting in line each night when they closed then maybe. I completely understand the point of having it open at night though - let's hope I-70 will be gone one day and more foot traffic will lead to more visitors. The operation of the Arch is interesting - I often basically forget it's a national park and expect it to be something else...(off on a tangent).

zink · PostMar 05, 2010#52010-03-05T15:54+00:00

Gary Kreie wrote:While we're at it, erect an all-glass cube on top just for the summer with edges set back so it wouldn't be visible from below. Then let people go up through the trap door in the ceiling into the cube to really get a view.

OMG SWEET! Do you think they would have enough money to add a slide from the top to the bottom? Maybe even from the cube, and make a slide from there to across the river!

Alex Ihnen · PostMar 05, 2010#62010-03-05T16:30+00:00

I propose a land swap between Bob Cassily and the National Park System. They can have City Museum (as much as it would pain me) and Bob gets the Arch grounds. Instant fun.

gary kreie · PostMar 05, 2010#72010-03-05T19:59+00:00

zink wrote:
Gary Kreie wrote:While we're at it, erect an all-glass cube on top just for the summer with edges set back so it wouldn't be visible from below. Then let people go up through the trap door in the ceiling into the cube to really get a view.
OMG SWEET! Do you think they would have enough money to add a slide from the top to the bottom? Maybe even from the cube, and make a slide from there to across the river!

Now, now. Everyone laughed when the glass box sticking out of the Sears Tower was proposed. Or was that just me? I would rather walk on top of the Arch.

PostApr 07, 2010#82010-04-07T02:55+00:00

Whoa. Just saw this picture from 1961 on today's STLtoday.com web site. Someone stole my idea before I had it! Wouldn't it be cool if one of the Arch Competition Teams proposed doing something like this -- which I'm guessing may have been in the original plans. If it could be made invisible from below, and nearly invisible from above, I think it would be cool. Only women in dresses allowed.

Caption: Published MAY 7, 1961- Drawing of an observation platform in a plastic dome at the top of the arch. Visitors will be able to reach this lookout by train, elevator or stairs going up through the triangular legs of the arch. There will be two cable-operated trains. Each train, consisting of eight passenger capsules resembling automobile interiors, will move on a track up one leg of the arch and return by the same route.

See the great 15 photos at stltoday.com.

framer · PostApr 07, 2010#92010-04-07T05:21+00:00

Wow! I've never seen that before. If it could be done discreetly, I'm all for it.