New Projects Take Shape Around Gateway Arch National Park
Date Posted: February 5, 2026
Posted In: Discussion, Projects,
From St. Louis Public Radio: The Gateway Arch Foundation has several irons in the fire — and soon, cranes in the sky.
After celebrating 60 years of the Gateway Arch’s construction last year, the foundation and its partners have begun the planning process of reimagining the former site of the Millennium Hotel, studying I-44 near the Arch parkgrounds and expanding the national park to include East St. Louis.
The Millennium Hotel, built in 1968, is currently under demolition. Ryan McClure, executive director of the Gateway Arch Foundation, told St. Louis on the Air that the foundation opted for a clean slate rather than rehabilitation to open up more possibilities.
“[The Millennium Hotel] takes up two city blocks. That causes this physical and psychological barrier between Busch Stadium and the Arch grounds. When you start with a clean slate and figure out how to reconnect that area to Busch Stadium and the Arch grounds, the possibilities are immense.”
In January, the Gateway Arch Foundation, along with partners from the Metro East Park and Recreation District, announced plans to expand Gateway Arch National Park across the Mississippi River to include the Malcolm W. Martin Memorial Park in East St. Louis. While blueprints have yet to be drafted, McClure said that Malcom Martin’s purchase of the land always included the intention for it to become part of the Arch grounds.