IUOE Projects
Gateway Arch
Gateway Arch
We have President Franklin D. Roosevelt to thank for what would become the Gateway Arch. In 1935, he designated the land on the St. Louis riverfront for a memorial to Thomas Jefferson and westward expansion. The Arch construction wouldn’t begin until 1963, with Local 513 members playing a major role in a project where precision was key. Today, the monument remains one of the most visited sites in the United States.
A history of the IUOE on this project
Members of Local 513 in St. Louis operate crawler cranes to erect the Gateway Arch in 1964 and 1965 as part of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial on the west bank of the Mississippi River. (Photos credit: Arteaga Photos LTD.)
Local 513 members who worked on the Gateway Arch included (left to right) Jerry Cottrell, crane operator; James Purl, oiler; William Quigley and Luther Fritts, derrick operators; and Leo Covington, compressor operator. (Photo credit: Arteaga Photos LTD.)