Saarinen-Danforth on same page
Former U.S. Sen. John Danforth has a big vision to leverage St. Louis’s great civic icon — the Arch — improving access from Downtown and developing a compelling cultural institution on its grounds.
His effort is sure to give rise to critics who will argue: Adding attractions to the Arch grounds can only detract from the soaring symbol.
Not so, at least if you trust architect Eero Saarinen and his original vision for the land surrounding the Arch.
The site plan his team produced is reproduced above from a piece by Carolyn Toft of the Landmarks Association of St. Louis.
The drawing indicates Saarinen would have located not one but two museums on the southern half of the grounds.
Toft called the plan “fascinating” not just for its “museums” but also “forests, restaurants, a tea pavilion, a frontier village, an ‘historic’ ensemble forming a “J” with the Old Cathedral” and entry to the Arch through the “Rock House,” an ancient stone warehouse dating to the levee’s early 19th century history.
Eddie Roth writes about education, social justice, public safety, transportation, legal affairs and historic preservation. He joined the Post-Dispatch editorial page in 2008 after six years as an editorial writer with the Dayton Daily News. But he is not new to St. Louis. Eddie grew up in Webster Groves and south St. Louis County. He's a lawyer who for many years practiced with a downtown firm, and was active in civic affairs, including serving a term on the St. Louis Police Board. He and his wife, Jeanne, and their three daughters, Emily, Julia and Alice, live in the Shaw Neighborhood.
When it comes to community organizing, he endorses Quentin Crisp's advice: Rather than keeping up with the Joneses, it's better to pull them down to your level. 
Hopefully, they won’t give control to the City, or we will be overrun by the cousins and brothers-in-law of Aldermen
No flyover, not to worry.
All will be going to people named Slay.
Having hosted two conferences here since 1993, I can safely say that our conferees from Asia and Europe really enjoyed going to the Gateway Arch.
Does this plan mean the freeways will be moved so that a pedestrian mall can be accomodated?
As to only slays being part of it, don’t forget the Blunts, Limbaughs and a few others. Or perhaps we can keep with that other St Louis tradition and name everything after Stan Musial and Bob Gibson (Ozzie Smith too).
It’s funny but I thought the museum of Westword Expansion was located at the Arch.
This man is ridiculous to say the least. He is only trying to make a name for himself.