Two of downtown St. Louis’ most iconic national landmarks are set to emerge during the next two years with major new enhancements and even more appeal for group events.
The national park grounds surrounding the Gateway Arch, a symbol of the city for the past half-century, is undergoing a $389 million transformation that will connect the Arch complex to the central business district of downtown St. Louis by late next year. Called CityArchRiver, the project includes new parklands being built over the lanes of Interstate 70 that will create a safe green pathway for pedestrians walking to the monument from the Old Courthouse, downtown hotels and America’s Center Convention Complex.
In addition, there will be a new underground glass entrance with natural lighting that will face the park over the highway and give visitors an easier way to enter the Gateway Arch and the Museum of Westward Expansion. Increasing by 11 acres, the park will also feature a new green space called Kiener Plaza. Other components include a renovated Old Courthouse, which played an important role in civil rights history, and an expanded Museum of Westward Expansion, which explores America’s pioneer past and the role St. Louis played as its point of embarkation.
“When everything is complete, there will be an enormous amount of new indoor and outdoor function space for events, as well as a much improved experience for visitors,” said John Bettag, vice president of sales for the St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission.
New event space beneath the Arch will give groups an opportunity to use the Museum of Westward Expansion as an off-site venue and for performances. Just beyond the park grounds, five miles of new paths are under development to provide more walking and bike accessibility along the Mississippi River.
Also underway is a new phase of development for St. Louis Union Station, a Romanesque-style masterpiece and National Historic Landmark that became the busiest railroad station in the world after it opened in 1894. Scheduled to open in stages from late this year through 2018, a $70 million entertainment complex will be located in the station’s former mall area.
The centerpiece of the complex will be the St. Louis Aquarium, a $45 million attraction housing thousands of marine species, including one of the largest shark exhibits in the Midwest. A Shark Bridge, a V-shaped rope bridge suspended just above the shark tank, will enable visitors to have a vantage point above sharks, stingrays and hundreds of fish. The shark tank will also serve as a backdrop for a 8,500-square-foot area available for corporate and social events.
Another component of the complex will be the St. Louis Wheel, a 200-foot-high observation wheel with 30 enclosed, climate-controlled gondolas seating six adults in each and providing panoramic views of the city skyline. Others are Train Park, an area in the historic train shed where food and beverages will be served from vintage train cars and shipping containers, and the Fire & Light Show at the Lake, a light show with synchronized music emanating from fire pods submerged in a pool of water.
At the same time, an expansion is underway at the St. Louis Union Station Hotel, which includes the addition of 32 new guest rooms, brining its total to 571 rooms. Set for completion by fall 2017, the expansion also includes 15,626 square feet of new breakout rooms.
