Discovering the Iconic Gateway Arch: Top 10 Fun Facts You Never Knew!

1. Lightning-Proof Crown

Forget Thor and his mighty Mjölnir: the Gateway Arch has its own legendary lightning protection system! The epicenter of St. Louis proudly wears a crown of lightning rods on its regal head, firmly grounded to bedrock royalty and a perfectly insulated palace to keep pesky Zeus at bay: In fact, the Arch is built to withstand the hundreds of lightning bolts that challenge its dominance each year.
Source => nps.gov

2. Secret Staircase

Here's a stair-y tale: you may never get to climb the winding steps of the Gateway Arch! Fret not, adventurers: visitors are whisked away in one of the eight tram capsules to the observation deck, leaving the staircases for maintenance purposes only.
Source => nps.gov

Did you know the Golden Gate Bridge's iconic orange color was chosen to blend in with nature? Discover the surprising reason behind this bold hue in our fun facts! 🌉🍊

=> Fun Facts about The-Golden-Gate-Bridge

3. Architectural Size Showdown

The Gateway Arch, America's architectural rendition of a postmodern McDonald's drive-thru: It stands prominently at 630 feet tall, dwarfing the Washington Monument by 75 feet and doubling the height of the Statue of Liberty, while not quite reaching the stature of the 1,250-foot-tall Empire State Building, thereby remaining a striking marvel in St. Louis that all visitors should behold.
Source => nps.gov

4. Eiffel's Elegant American Cousin

If Eiffel Tower and Sydney Opera House had an elegant, steel-trussed child, it would surely look like St. Louis' mighty Gateway Arch: Standing majestically at 630 feet above the Mississippi River, this awe-inspiring structure boasts a sleek inverted catenary curve design and houses 1,076 steps in each leg, leading to an observation platform providing breathtaking views and a testament to brilliant engineering.
Source => nps.gov

5. Metallic Rainbow

Picture this: an elegant metallic rainbow stretching sky-high, like a space-age stairway to heaven! The star of the show in St. Louis for over 55 years is none other than the glimmering Gateway Arch: designed by Eero Saarinen, and completed on October 28, 1965, it symbolizes the connection between the eastern and western halves of the United States. Standing tall on 36 cleared city blocks, this public display of shimmering stainless-steel sass continues to intrigue visitors with its mesmerizing curves, inviting them to remember the city's past and look forward to its future.
Source => ksdk.com

6. Wonka-esque Elevator

Picture this: a Willy Wonka-esque elevator, navigating the twists and whimsy of the Gateway Arch, waltzing through the sky with a bellyful of giggling passengers: That's the reality, thanks to the ingenious tram capsules designed by Dick Bowser, which complete round trips to the top in 9 minutes while carrying up to 225 passengers per hour!
Source => nps.gov

7. Defying Fatal Predictions

They say what goes up must come down, but the fearless workers building the Gateway Arch left gravity-defying accidents grounded: Remarkably, not a single death or serious injury occurred during its construction between 1963 and 1965, despite the perilous conditions faced by those constructing the 630-foot tall symbol of St. Louis.
Source => gatewayarch.com

8. The Zero Fatality Show

Step right up, folks! Have a gander at the marvelous monument of metal, the steel showstopper, the not-so-risky archy! Behold the spectacle where 13 fatalities were predicted but not a single worker perished on stage: The Gateway Arch in St. Louis demonstrated zero worker fatalities during its construction, possibly due to the small, confined job sites, attentive supervision, and precise workmanship that ensured proper tools and safety measures were consistently in place.
Source => incident-prevention.com

9. High-Altitude Workout

Did you hear about the all-inclusive, helicopter-assisted, high-altitude workout with an unbeatable view? The Gateway Arch construction crew sure did: They hauled heavy materials 630 feet up through strong winds for two and a half years, finally completing the impressive structure on October 28, 1965.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

10. Vertical Marathon

Leave your wheels at home and get ready to stretch those legs: The Tram Ride to the Top of the Gateway Arch requires visitors to conquer 96 steps divided into six flights, with a potential 30-60 minute vertical marathon session without seating or restrooms at the top.
Source => gatewayarch.com