Soaring to nearly 630-feet,
the geyser's
height mirrors that of St. Louis' famed Gateway Arch, located directly
across the Mississippi River. The center fountain is complemented by
four auxiliary fountains, which represent the four rivers that converge
in the St. Louis area.
The following is an excerpt
from the June 2004
St. Louis Commerce Magazine
In 1968, Malcolm W. Martin formed the Gateway Center of Metropolitan St.
Louis with the intention of doing something on the east side to fulfill
Gateway Arch architect Eero Saarinen's dream of a memorial on
both sides of the Mississippi River.
That dream languished until the railroads on the East Side abandoned
their tracks and the property became available. In 1983, Martin's
organization purchased 50 acres, of which the park now occupies the
remaining 34.
Soaring to nearly 630 feet,
the geyser's height mirrors that of the Arch. It's four auxiliary
fountains represent the four rivers that converge in the St. Louis area.
The fountain was completed in 1995 at a cost of $4 million. Powered by
three 800-horsepower pumps and discharging 8,000 gallons of water per
minute at 250 feet per second.
Martin died in 2004 at the age of 91, but his vision still lives on.
Regional Lewis and Clark & Historical Attractions
in Hartford & Wood River, Illinois ~ St. Louis &
St. Charles, Missouri
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provided courtesy of the National Park Service
GPO 1991-557-779
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