Release Date: October 13, 2014
Contact: Ann Honious, JNEM
Phone: 314-655-1614
Contact: Jenna Todoroff, Common Ground PR
Phone: 636-530-1235

National Park Service Provides Interpretive Education About Industrial Rope Access Project at the Gateway Arch
Activities Include Binoculars, Scopes and Other Activities

WHAT: Through the duration of the Industrial Rope Access Project taking place at the Gateway Arch beginning Monday, October 13, the National Park Service will provide interpretive education to the public at the project’s public access area in Luther Ely Smith Square, located between the Old Courthouse and the Gateway Arch Grounds in downtown St. Louis.

The Industrial Rope Access project will allow a team of engineers from Wiss Janney Elstner Associates (WJE), specially trained in difficult access scenarios, to be suspended by an intricate rope system and descend from the hatch at the apex of the Arch down the monument’s north leg to areas approximately 425 feet from the ground. WJE will collect stain samples from the Arch’s exterior, setting the stage for decision making about potential future surface cleaning.

NPS rangers will provide spotting scopes and lead interpretative education, allowing visitors to discover more about this extensive engineering project. In addition, an Arch-centric touch table, a model of a tram car and Arch building blocks will be available on site. A Watch Day exhibit, provided by a grant from the World Monuments Fund, will be on display in the Gateway Arch lobby. NPS rangers will lead on-site activities with local students on Wednesday, October 15 so students can learn about the project firsthand.
Previous studies by WJE led to the inclusion of the Arch on the 2014 World Monuments Watch, a program of the World Monuments Fund, focusing attention on conservation issues at internationally significant places. The Watch is the WMF’s primary advocacy program, bringing international attention to the challenges facing cultural heritage sites around the globe.

The IRA project has been funded in part by Bi-State Development Agency, grants from the World Monuments Fund, and the Kemper Fund for Missouri/Kansas Preservation by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

“These activities will allow the public to discover more about this project from an engineering standpoint, and the specific challenges this project presents,” said Ann Honious, Chief, Museum Services and Interpretation, Jefferson National Expansion Memorial.

The sampling is expected to be completed by Friday, October 17, weather permitting. The Arch will remain open throughout the duration of this project. Public access to areas on the Gateway Arch grounds will be restricted, and all visitors to the Arch will enter at the south leg. Visitors will still be allowed to take a tram ride to the Arch’s observation deck, but the deck will partially restricted. There is no visibility of the project from the top of the Arch.