The Future of the Gateway Mall
No plan in the world could eliminate the biggest flaw of the Gateway Mall, that ribbon of park space extending west from the Gateway Arch through downtown St. Louis: The mall follows a slightly crooked path, marring its sight lines and forestalling any chance of symmetry. The mall runs between Market and Chestnut Streets, which both bend slightly south as they head west.
Historic examples of urban park malls include the National Mall in Washington, DC and the Champs Elysees in Paris. These malls adhere to a strictly formal linear symmetry surrounded by a dense urban landscape. The original St. Louis mall plan first appeared in 1907 when the progressive Civic League called for a central park mall running west from Tucker Boulevard to Grand Avenue. Here, the mall actually is straight. In 1966, city leaders began talking about extending the mall east to meet the Arch grounds. This idea was born in a time when clearance and open space were seen as desired tools for remaking downtown, so some zealousness clearly was at play.
The 1966 vision never addressed the fact that Market and Chestnut make substantial bends at Tucker, and that symmetry would be impossible. However, only parts of it were built, including an infamous “half-mall” block with an office building on one side. However the result draws the eye to the fact that the apex of the Arch does not align with the center of the Civil Courts building. Currently, city leaders are undertaking a Master Plan for reconfiguring the mall. As leaders consider what to do of the belt of disjointed park space called the Gateway Mall, they should consider eliminating eliminating some of the blocks of park space and ending an impossible fantasy.