The Arch
The Gateway Arch, St. Louis, Missouri
It was raining and extremely foggy, so this is the clearest shot I could get, but it just shows how high up it is to be enveloped by clouds.
The Arch is the tallest national monument in the United States at 630 feet; it is the city’s best known landmark and a popular tourist attraction.
Construction began February 12, 1963 and the last section of the Arch was put into place on October 28, 1965.
The Arch is a structure known as a catenary curve, the shape a free-hanging chain takes when held at both ends, and considered the most structurally-sound arch shape. The span of the Arch legs at ground level is 630 feet, the same as its height.
Each year, approximately a million visitors ride the trams to the top of the Arch. The trams have been in operation for over 30 years, traveling a total of 250,000 miles and carrying over 25 million passengers.
The Arch weighs 17,246 tons. Nine hundred tons of stainless steel was used to build the Arch, more than any other project in history.
The Arch was built at a cost of $13 million. The transportation system was built at a cost of $3,500,000.
In order to ensure that the constructed legs would meet, the margin of error for failure was 1/64th of an inch. All survey work was done at night to eliminate distortion caused by the sun’s rays. Since the Arch was constructed before the advent of computer technology, relatively crude instruments were used for these measurements.
The Arch sways a maximum of 18” (9” each way) in a 150 mph wind. The usual sway is 1/2”.
The Arch belongs to the following groups:
Street Photography and Photojournalism Available for sale asGreeting Cards, Matted Prints, Laminated Prints, Mounted Prints and Framed Prints
nigelnash
wow ! what a marvel !
LindaR
well done!!
Von McKnelly
Thia may be the best ever shot of the arch I’ve seen.
Jen Cannella
Beautiful shot…wonderful description!
roybarry
What a fabulous shot, perfect perspective, framing and exposure.
richman
great image
Kenny Gulley Jr.
sweet shot, u r never in the same place once are u
:)
Alvaro Sánchez
nicely! done!
Ulf Buschmann
Very cool!
AnaBanana
beautiful!
Paul Rees-Jones
This is incredible…GREAT work!
Ranald
I have always wondered about this arch, especially the lifts/trams to get folk to the top. Thanks for clarification.
On the picture front, great perspective and atmosphere. I assume the arch into the left hand corner is careful placement. It works.
Gavin King
This is great work lys, great compostion and detail
savosave
great composition
Crespuscular
cool!
Outdoors2
Great mood shot Lys
I rode up the trams in 1980 While in Basic at Ft LNW Mo.
I had forgotten about it till know Thanks…;)
lolowe
This is really cool. Almost surreal.
Rpnzle
This is so cool in the fog!! Saw it way back in 1976, in the sunshine.
Anthony Mancuso
Wonderful work Lys, the cloud and mist add so much to it
Keeli
Fantastic . . . great info too!
inventor
Lys do you know what the Arch and the Eifel tower have in common?
Lys •
no sir! please share!
Tony Fallon
Brilliant Image with incredible pov !
Mark German
Very nice, Lys.
Has a magical feel to it – the bridge to eternity… :)
flower68
Wow!what an incredible structure.
Tara Sheffer-A...
Great angle for this shot! Nice work!
Zaldy Infante
minimalist and abstract, love this
Krisso
Awesome Lys! Love the perspective!
melbourneguy75
Absolutely stunning image, less is definitely more.
mikepaulhamus
i have seen a piece on this, I think discovery channel ! Unbelievable structure.
Excellent shot, very nice.
Dennis Rubin IPA
majestically done!
Danzo
Brilliant shot. Must be inspiring to stand under it. Thankyou for the facts and figures. Funtastico.
Ani Corless
well i gotta love this! I see it outside my window everyday! Love the fog, Doesnt usually localize that high on it.
djlampkins
Nice composition, very interesting.
GlennB
great mono!!
barnsis
Outstanding shot, I have seen it look this way but never with a camera in my hand. Great capture and from an excellent angle. The day they set the last piece in place they had a crane on each leg lifting the center section, the sun started coming up and they had to hoist fire hose to douse the legs because they started distrorting from the heat of the sun and the sections wouldn’t line up. Sorry just a side note.
Wilson Wyatt ...
Very nice shot. Great composition and angle
Michael Grohs
wow very dramatic – love it
Aimelle
fantastic shot !
Josh Cozort
Love this shot great work!!