A large tombstone which says:

“Here lies St. Louis. This monument was built to honor those who left and that tradition continues today.”

A steamboat tied up at the foot of the Arch, with a history of the river and river commerce. A pedestrian walkway from free parking. If they want a museum have it be a museum of early 1800s St. Louis — Chouteau, Wm. Clark, fur traders, French/Indian/early black culture. At one time the Old Courthouse was supposed to be that museum before the Dred Scott folks took it over.

I still want a reconstruction of the Rock House. How about take out Memorial Drive offices and make that into the early St. Louis facade? Part of that facade could be period restaurants and taverns– places to eat, etc.

Leave the Arch grounds grass, but do more festival type stuff there every weekend, not just one or two big shindigs a year.

Put a huge neon sign that says “gateway to the west” as in keep on going anywhere but here. STL is a deadbed for hoosiers who make 25K or less.

Either a strip club or an OTB… Why should the Eastside have all the good stuff?

Teresa-

The Rock House has been reconstructed… into a bar and live music club. It’s pretty awesome both inside and out. http://oldrockhousestl.com/

I’m not from St. Louis originally, but have called St. Louis home since 2006. Having worked in the hospitality industry, I know that the Arch continues to be a ‘big deal’ to tourists, and I personally do not think that the integrity of the grounds should be compromised. I liked Teresa’s suggestion of incorporating history into the area. St. Louis has such a unique and varied history which should be embraced and not forgotten.

Beautiful riverfront parklands, cafes, a museum or two and some galleries I beleive is the way to go. We need to breathe more life into the downtown area for future generations.

Return of Fair St. Louis to the Arch Grounds….it should never have changed formats. Remember…”Celebration under the Arch!

Unfortunately, Senator Danforth is 100% correct in saying that a lid is needed over I-70 to truly connect the Arch with the rest of the city. The highway poses as both a physical and emotional barrier between the two.

If the goal is to draw more tourists and locals to the Arch grounds, whatever is decided on must be a “big deal”…such as an aquarium. It has to be an attraction that can support itself and one that would make people want to spend the entire day around the Arch. Anything less would just be a waste of taxpayer money.

We need some type of day time event in the Downtown St.Louis because the only time it is ever busy in the downtown area is when there is a Cardinals game, some type of fair, or the nightlife on weekends. I live in the downtown area and I think it is somewhat sad and depressing living here. The only fun i’ve had downtown living is the night life and we need to teach our kids there are more things to do for fun than just go out on the night and drink yourself away.
We should have something like a waterpark or something else creative to do during the day. Could we also get rid of some street running east and west for pedestrians because first of all people drive way to fast and they like to break real hard to the stop lights. Could we somehow close off a street and have what you call a “wandernplatz” in german. It means walk place for people to observe the city in peace where there are no cars, only biker, walker, jogger, and shops are allowed to go through.
I hope something creative gets done.

While the Arch was under construction, I saw a model of what the area was to look like. The way it looks today is consistent with that model. I’ve always enjoyed the green space. I know the original design did include more than just the monument, so I could support a NPS overhaul. I’m glad to see that the park service says that local control is not part of the discussion. The Arch grounds are a National Park, not a vacant lot to be included in some cheesy downtown revitalization plan.