Missouri, USA

The Gateway Arch

This beautiful monument was built in 1935 to commemorate Thomas Jefferson’s vision of a transcontinental United States. Artist Eero Saarinen was the architect of the project, and he skillfully designed the shape to symbolize the diverse people who bridged cultures and shaped the region and the country.

Interestingly, the arch was supposed to be as tall as it was wide, and to do so the two legs had to be built independently from the start. The architechts knew that if the measurements were off by as little as 1/64th of an inch, the legs would not be able to join at the top. However, there was no easier way to go about it, so they took the challenge and evidently succeeded!

Photo by Anurup Mohanty