03/12/2026
In 1947, architect Eero Saarinen won the design competition for the Gateway Arch with a vision that didnโt stop at the riverโs edge. His original plan for the Gateway to the West was a grand, unified experience spanning both the Missouri and Illinois banks of the Mississippi River.
This week, a major step was taken toward realizing that vision.
Representatives Nikki Budzinski and Wesley Bell, along with many others, met at the riverfront to celebrate the introduction of the Gateway Arch National Park Boundary Revision Act.
While the National Park Service has had a placeholder boundary in Illinois since 1984, the original legislation used a map that was loosely drawn. The current legislation updates those lines to reflect the actual land on the ground today. This allows for the entirety of Malcolm W. Martin Memorial Park to be incorporated into the National Parkโs footprint, as well as a parcel recently acquired by the City of East St. Louis, and additional lands south extending to the Poplar Street Bridge.
We are proud to see this bi-state, bipartisan effort moving forward, and we would like to thank Representative Budzinski, Representative Bell, the Gateway Arch Park Foundation, and all others involved for their dedicated partnership in ensuring the Gateway Arch National Park finally reflects the full, unified vision of its creator.
Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski, Representative Wesley Bell, Gateway Arch Park Foundation, City of East St Louis, Greater St. Louis, Inc., East-West Gateway Council of Governments, Gateway Center of Metropolitan St. Louis, Malcolm W Martin Memorial Park
