Regional leaders came together Tuesday in East St. Louis to celebrate a critical step in the decades’ old dream: Bipartisan legislation to amend the Gateway Arch National Park’s boundaries to include Malcolm W. Martin Memorial Park and nearby vacant land in East St. Louis. The idea is that expansion to the other side of the river would yield an attraction that drives investment in East St. Louis.
Martin, a local attorney who died in 2004 (and, said attorney Tom Schlafly, helped to plan the D-Day invasion, among many other achievements), personally purchased land across the river from the Arch in hopes of preserving it to complete Eero Saarinen’s original vision for the memorial to span the river. He later deeded the acreage to the Metro East Park and Recreation District, which is eager to see it become part of the national park as well. After all, pointed out executive director Bryan Werner, Lewis and Clark “assembled and trained their expedition” on the Illinois side of the river.
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The bill—filed Monday by U.S. Representative Nikki Budzinski (D-Springfield), along with co-sponsors Wesley Bell (D-St. Louis), Mike Bost (R-Murphysboro) and Ann Wagner (R-Ballwin)—was hailed as a major development. Said Budzinkski of the bipartisan cooperation, “A lot of our constituents, they don’t believe this is possible anymore. That’s what’s so special about today. We’ve come together to do this.”
Many details were not yet clear, although Gateway Arch Park Foundation executive director Ryan McClure did his best to answer questions from what felt like representatives from every news outlet in the metro area. There is not yet a price tag for the park that would be developed, but it would be paid for by a combination of government and philanthropic funds (the same mix that drove the $380 million City Arch River revamp of the Missouri side of the Arch grounds). McClure said that planning firm PGAV is working on a visioning study for the site, while Budzinski noted that the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency will be working on an environmental assessment. The time frame for the next steps? Still unclear.
But, as Budzinski acknowledged, it may be dependent on a “fully funded National Park Service,” citing cuts to the agency as something she was personally working to undo.
One thing that won’t be coming back? The Gateway Geyser, which was a visible reminder to Missourians of Martin’s ambitions for the site until it was disassembled in 2023. Under questioning from the Post-Dispatch’s Joe Holleman, Werner reminded people that the geyser was “past its useful life.” Would it be returning? “It is a no,” Werner said.
The mercury reached 85 degrees, and as trains rumbled by and no shade other than the tiered 43-foot tall viewing platform erected on the otherwise undeveloped parkland, officials were sweating—but in a good mood. Bell teased Budzinski as having the “most mispronounced name in Congress,” adding, “I think I heard three different versions in this press conference alone.” Later, when introducing her, he copped to adding a fourth.
