Excerpt from article featured in Architectural Digest
The keys to a successful public space are feelings of “welcome and clarity,” says landscape architect Michael Van Valkenburgh. Both were lacking at Eero Saarinen’s 1965 Gateway Arch, long cut off from downtown St. Louis by an interstate highway. Tapped to close that gap, Van Valkenburgh has now extended the arch’s historic Dan Kiley–designed grounds, adding a land bridge to the city. Nestled into the berm beneath the soaring icon, meanwhile, is the entrance plaza to the newly expanded history museum, a discreet crescent of glass conceived by James Carpenter Design Associates and Cooper Robertson in collaboration with Trivers Associates. Says Carpenter, “The project has completely changed the relationship of the park to the city.” gatewayarch.com
