Civic group to finish Arch stairway

The Associated Press

ST. LOUIS -- Fifty-four years after Eero Saarinen's design for a Gateway Arch was approved, civic leaders said Thursday they plan to finish it.

Mayor Francis Slay and the civic improvement group St. Louis 2004 announced plans to construct a continuous, wide staircase leading up the Arch from the riverfront -- just as Saarinen intended. For riverfront events, the steps will double as seats that could accommodate thousands of people. The architect intended the stairway, which he called the "Monumental Feature," to span the width of the Arch. Instead, because money was short, only sections on the north and south ends were built.

"This is all done in the spirit of bringing more activity to the riverfront, and hence bring more activity to downtown St. Louis," said St. Louis 2004 president Peter Sortino.