
Courtesy of CityArchRiver2015
A rendering of the future museum and visitor center entrance at the Gateway Arch.
Maggie Hales has resigned from her role as president and chief executive officer of the CityArchRiver Foundation as the nonprofit dedicated to renovating the Gateway Arch grounds wraps up some of its bigger projects.
Eric Moraczewski, the group’s director of finance, will manage the day-to-day responsibilities of the organization until the board decides next steps. Hales has been part of the CityArchRiver team since 2012.
“We understand Maggie’s desire to explore other options and pursue the next phase of her career,” said Andrew C. Taylor, chairman of the CityArchRiver Foundation and executive chairman of Enterprise Holdings. “We thank her for establishing a solid financial footing for the construction of the project. Looking to the future, our goal is to develop a large enough endowment so that this landmark can continue to operate as a vibrant national asset for generations to come.”
See also: 50 Things You Never Knew About the Arch
Construction on a new museum and visitor center at the Arch, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2015, should finish later this year. In January, CityArchRiver announced the completion of a $250 million capital campaign for the $380 million project, including $221 million in private funding to cover design and construction costs and an additional $29 million to seed an endowment to help maintain and operate the park in the future.
“This has been an enriching experience from the beginning,” Hales said in a statement. “This is an extraordinary public-private partnership that will achieve so much more even after the project is finished. I look forward to celebrating the refreshed and invigorated Arch grounds along with millions of other park visitors.”
The public-private partnership effort to revitalize the Arch grounds is also funded by a successful 2013 ballot measure and funds from the the U.S. Department of Transportation, Missouri Department of Transportation, City of St. Louis, National Park Service, Bi-State Development, Federal Highway Administration, Great Rivers Greenway, and other sources.
Contact Lindsay Toler by an email at LToler@stlmag.com or on Twitter @StLouisLindsay. For more from St. Louis Magazine, subscribe or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.