We have to make a model of The Gateway Arch. I am not finding any great pictures of it and I really have no idea how ds (who is not artistically inclined) is going to do this. We also have to explain why it is called The Gateway Arch - and he can't find anything online that explains how it got its name. Can anyone help?

By Candace on Monday, January 13, 2003 - 02:26 pm:

Are you talking about the Arch in St. Louis? Sorry if that is a stupid question...but if you are, it is called the Gateway arch because it is the gateway to the west, I believe. If I remember correctly from when I lived there. I'll see if I can find anything...hold on...

By Candace on Monday, January 13, 2003 - 02:27 pm:

Go to...www.stlouisarch.com...

By Melanie on Monday, January 13, 2003 - 02:28 pm:

This site has a lot of good pics. I will see if I can find some history, too.
http://www.stlouisarch.com/main.html

By Candace on Monday, January 13, 2003 - 02:30 pm:

Saint Louis Gateway Arch
The Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Park was established on the banks of the Mississippi River, on December 21, 1935, to commemorate the westward growth of the United States between 1803 and 1890. Cost for the $30 million national monument was shared by the federal government and the City of St. Louis.

The park features the Gateway Arch, designed by architect Eero Saarinen who won the design competition in 1947. The stainless steel structure rises 630 feet high from a 60-foot foundation and spans 630 feet at ground level. Its classic weighted catenary curve sways 1/2" - 1" in 20 mph wind. Construction on the nation's tallest memorial began in 1961 with the "topping out" in 1965 and dedication in 1966.

The floor plan of the Underground Visitor Center follows a circular pattern with galleries depicting a 100-year span of westward expansion and the Tucker Theatre. Additional attractions include two passenger trams to the observation room at the top and the Museum of Westward Expansion.

By Melanie on Monday, January 13, 2003 - 02:30 pm:

http://www.nps.gov/jeff/arch-ov.htm

By Mechelle on Monday, January 13, 2003 - 02:31 pm:

http://www.stlouisarch.com/docuFrame.html

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUrl-g44881-d104318-r683158-e__2F__Attraction_Review__2D__g44881__2D__d104318__2D__Reviews__2D__Gateway_Arch__2D__Saint_Louis_Missouri__2E__html-Gateway_Arch-Saint_Louis_Missouri.html


Arch Has Become Symbol Of St. Louis
posted July 6, 2002


Photo by John Wilson
Gateway Arch has become the trademark of St. Louis. Click to enlarge all our photos.
Think of St. Louis and the Cardinals may come to mind, or perhaps the Arch.

The gigantic span symbolizes the Gateway to the West, where Lewis and Clark embarked and where thousands of hearty pioneers followed.

The Gateway Arch is awe-inspiring as you gaze up and wonder how such a towering structure could have been built. A movie inside tells the fascinating story of its creation.

Another movie focuses on the equally fascinating account of how Lewis and Clark, at the bidding of President Jefferson, made their way from St. Louis all the way to the Pacific - traveling where white men had not gone before.

The Gateway Arch is 630 feet tall, and you can go to the top in a tram. A viewing area at the top, that can hold up to 160 people, looks down on the mighty Mississippi River. There are 16 windows on each side of the viewing area.

Total cost to build the Gateway Arch was $13 million. Construction started in February 1963 and it was finished in October of 1965.

By Candace on Monday, January 13, 2003 - 02:34 pm:

Look here for pictures...

http://www.photovault.com/Link/Cities/Midwest/Missouri/Places/GatewayArch.html

By Colette on Monday, January 13, 2003 - 03:01 pm:

great thanks! any ideas on how to make a model of it?

By Terri4him on Monday, January 13, 2003 - 03:06 pm:

Oohhhhhhh WEeeeeeeeeee Girl!! That is going to be one hard bad billy to reproduce...hmmmmm ( scratching my head)..this is what I would do..

I'd go to your local lumber yard and ask for a piece of balsa wood...( I believe it's called that)..but it's a piece of VERY thing wood that alot of crafters use and it's bendable and movable..but can break easy...I would bend it and then paint it the color of the steel that the arch is... I do know that craft stores carry this wood..but I find them to be at a smaller scale...and a bit more pricey...

Maybe you could find a piece of steel and have someone bend it for you too..not sure about that though...

I tell ya....everywhere else there are such cool things to see...the only thing we have here is the longest covered bridge in the western hemesphere...and there's only so many times you can get excited about that!!

Anyways..I wish you the best of luck..
Blessings
Terri

By Familyman on Monday, January 13, 2003 - 04:13 pm:

What size does this thing have to be? It's just a triangle in cross section, if you striaghtened it out it would be a big long triangle shaped nodle. Poster board might be your friend here. With three long skinny pieces you can easily make a long triangle shaped noodle. Then to get it to bend you have to remove the inside part of the arch. If you cut slits in two sides you should be able to bend it some, my bet is that you will have to cut little pie shaped pieces out of it to get it perfect. Another option is to go to a good fabric store and look at their thick foam pieces for upholstry. That would work well and bend nicely if you could get them to cut you off a small linear chunk. If you need to carve it more at home an electric carving knife works great. You still may need to remove a few pie shaped pieces to get the inside bend right. If you were really motivated you could calculate and plot out a parabola on poster board, make it a thick one, a few inches or so thick so it looks like half the McDonalds arch. Cut two indentical ones out. Tape them together on the inside edge, now if you spread the outisde edge out you can tape another strip over that space then you have a three sided half McDonalds arch which is all it really is. If I had a few hours and some paper I could do a reasonable mini mockup and use that to teach my child how to do it themselves.
Did I mention that I'm an engineer?

By Candace on Monday, January 13, 2003 - 04:19 pm:

Familyman, what type of Engineer are you and where did you go to school? My DH is an Aerospace Engineer from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and he is currently going back for his masters in AE. Collette, I am good at looking up stuff, but when it comes to building things, well, I can only draw stick figures, does that tell you anything? I will see what I can come up with, but what Familyman said sounds good!

By Familyman on Monday, January 13, 2003 - 04:29 pm:

BsE in Geological Engineering from Michigan Technological University. I also got a BS in Geophysics while I was at it. I'm going back and getting a bachelors in mechanical engineering at night at the University of Houston now that I'm staying at home. Gives me something work for and keep me sharp until I go back to work.

By Candace on Monday, January 13, 2003 - 07:12 pm:

That's Cool, Good Luck! I have been out of school so long, not sure if I would make it going back now...Maybe one day!

By Colette on Monday, January 13, 2003 - 08:32 pm:

Familyman, want to come up and show him how to make this thing? I was thinking clay painted silver or something simple like that....did I mention I am not artistically inclined either?

By Jewlz on Monday, January 13, 2003 - 11:32 pm:

how about popsicle sticks if wet they bend well just soak them a bit .... and will dry the way u leave them ... family man my hubby got his masters in education at u of H .... smiles ...

By Familyman on Monday, January 13, 2003 - 11:43 pm:

It should be pretty easy if you make it the last way that I mentioned. Try a small one out of paper first. Take a piece of paper and draw the arch on it, it's an upside down U with some thickness right? Now cut out two of them that are the same. I'd just hold two pieces of paper together and cut them out at the same time. What you're aiming for is something that should look like half the McDonalds M. Now hold the two pieces together and tape the inside edge, the inside of the U. If you look at it from the side it looks like the arch right now right? You just need to give it depth. So take cut long narrow stip of paper, about as wide as the U is wide. Then spread apart the untaped outside edge of the U and tape this strip in the gap. I can make a small one and take digital pictures of the process if you really need me to. Well, I can do it tomorrow anyway. Once you get it made you can just spray paint it. The cool thing is that with sheets of posterboard you can make a pretty big one, say 2 feet tall. Should be pretty cool. You have to rememember that the real arch is hollow too and it's hollow for a reason, that was the easiest and strongest way to build it. You just need to copy what the real builders did. Give me a week and access to radioshack and I'd have you a working elevator to the observation deck!