Memorial Drive (St. Louis)
Encyclopedia
Memorial Drive runs north-south in Downtown
St. Louis, Missouri
. It is between the city's central business district and the grounds of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial
and Gateway Arch
. It has an intimate relationship with Interstate 70
; for most of its length it runs above the sunken highway, but north of Washington Avenue it goes under it as the highway ramps up above the city.
Memorial Drive has been the topic of heated debate for a very long time. The consensus is that a connection problem between the Gateway Mall
and the Arch Grounds exists has produced calls for Memorial Drive to be removed, for a "lid" to be placed over the depressed highway with a landscaped plaza acting as a median, or for the removal of the highway altogether and the conversion of Memorial Drive into a boulevard. In 2009, an international competition was launched by the National Park Service
, who controls the Arch Grounds. The Framing a Modern Masterpiecehttp://www.cityarchrivercompetition.org/about/ competition is intended to address this connection issue along with other concerns about downtown vitality.
In the years that followed, citizens and urbanists complained of the city being cut off from the memorial by the highway and Memorial Drive. Various calls were made for placing a lid over the sunken highway, and designs were drawn up by the large, locally based firm HOK
. The Missouri Department of Transportation
did several studies to research the impact of closing the road and diverting traffic along other routes. So far nothing has happened, but in 2009 MoDOT applied for stimulus funds for repairs on Memorial Drive which would keep it more or less as it is.http://www.modot.mo.gov/stlouis/links/documents/memorial_drive_exhibit_for_public_meeting_000.pdf
In December 2009, the National Park Service announced an international competition to improve the memorial and has included Memorial Drive in its plans.
The New Mississippi River Bridge
set to open in 2015 will reroute I-70 north of downtown, which may cause the road structure around Memorial Drive to change.
The stated goals of the competition are to:
Downtown St. Louis
Downtown St. Louis is the central business district of St. Louis, Missouri, the hub of tourism and entertainment, and the anchor of the St. Louis metropolitan area. The downtown is bounded by Cole Street to the north, the river front to the east, Chouteau Avenue to the south, and Jefferson Avenue...
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
. It is between the city's central business district and the grounds of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial
Jefferson National Expansion Memorial
The Jefferson National Expansion Memorial is in St. Louis, Missouri, near the starting point of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. It was designated as a National Memorial by Executive Order 7523, on December 21, 1935, and is maintained by the National Park Service .The park was established to...
and Gateway Arch
Gateway Arch
The Gateway Arch, or Gateway to the West, is an arch that is the centerpiece of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial in St. Louis, Missouri. It was built as a monument to the westward expansion of the United States...
. It has an intimate relationship with Interstate 70
Interstate 70
Interstate 70 is an Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from Interstate 15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to a Park and Ride near Baltimore, Maryland. It was the first Interstate Highway project in the United States. I-70 approximately traces the path of U.S. Route 40 east of the Rocky...
; for most of its length it runs above the sunken highway, but north of Washington Avenue it goes under it as the highway ramps up above the city.
Memorial Drive has been the topic of heated debate for a very long time. The consensus is that a connection problem between the Gateway Mall
St. Louis Gateway Mall
The St. Louis Gateway Mall in St. Louis, Missouri is a linear park one block wide running from the Gateway Arch at Memorial Drive to Union Station at 20th Street. It runs between Market Street and Chestnut Street.-Early History:...
and the Arch Grounds exists has produced calls for Memorial Drive to be removed, for a "lid" to be placed over the depressed highway with a landscaped plaza acting as a median, or for the removal of the highway altogether and the conversion of Memorial Drive into a boulevard. In 2009, an international competition was launched by the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
, who controls the Arch Grounds. The Framing a Modern Masterpiecehttp://www.cityarchrivercompetition.org/about/ competition is intended to address this connection issue along with other concerns about downtown vitality.
History
In the 1930s, work began on the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial and the section of 3rd street running along the western border of the memorial was renamed. The memorial construction continued to 1965, when the Gateway Arch was completed. In the years that followed, Memorial Drive was slowly integrated into the Interstate 70, which opened in 1970.In the years that followed, citizens and urbanists complained of the city being cut off from the memorial by the highway and Memorial Drive. Various calls were made for placing a lid over the sunken highway, and designs were drawn up by the large, locally based firm HOK
Hok
Hok may refer to:*Hellmuth, Obata and Kassabaum, HOK is a major, international architecture, interiors, engineering, planning and consulting firm*Hok , a location in Sweden*Hok/sok system, a host-killing gene of the R1 E...
. The Missouri Department of Transportation
Missouri Department of Transportation
The Missouri Department of Transportation is a state government organization in charge of maintaining public roadways of the U.S. state of Missouri.-External links:*...
did several studies to research the impact of closing the road and diverting traffic along other routes. So far nothing has happened, but in 2009 MoDOT applied for stimulus funds for repairs on Memorial Drive which would keep it more or less as it is.http://www.modot.mo.gov/stlouis/links/documents/memorial_drive_exhibit_for_public_meeting_000.pdf
In December 2009, the National Park Service announced an international competition to improve the memorial and has included Memorial Drive in its plans.
The New Mississippi River Bridge
New Mississippi River Bridge
The New Mississippi River Bridge is a bridge, currently under construction, which will eventually cross the Mississippi River, connecting St. Clair County, Illinois to the city of St. Louis, Missouri...
set to open in 2015 will reroute I-70 north of downtown, which may cause the road structure around Memorial Drive to change.
Framing a Modern Masterpiece
The design competition accepted entries through the end of 2009, with a 10-month design process from December 2009 to October 2010. The competition deals primarily with reconnecting the park to the city and river. The notable areas are the riverfront park in East St. Louis, the riverfront next to the arch grounds, Poplar Street, Washington Avenue, and Memorial Drive. The construction should be finished by 2015.The stated goals of the competition are to:
- Create an iconic place for the international icon, the Gateway Arch.
- Catalyze increased vitality in the St. Louis region.
- Honor the character defining elements of the National Historic Landmark.
- Weave connections and transitions from the City and the Arch grounds to the River.
- Mitigate the impact of transportation systems.
- Embrace the Mississippi River and the east bank in Illinois as an integral part of National Park.
- Reinvigorate the mission to tell the story of St. Louis as the gateway to national expansion.
- Create attractors to promote extended visitation to the Arch, the City and the River.
- Develop a sustainable future.
- Enhance the visitor experience and create a welcoming and accessible environment.
- For more information about the scope of the competition, please see