The History Behind the Arch

Why theArch is not just a regular monument, but asymbol of activism.

ISABELLA BAMNOLKER | PAGE EDITOR CHARLIE MILLER | PAGE EDITOR

The last piece of the Gateway Arch being put in October 28, 1965.

POST DISPATCH ARCHIVES | PHOTO BY LESTER LINCK

Percy Green dangled from the Gateway Arch to protest the exclusion of black workers from the construction, a policeman attempted to talk him down. Green, a St. Louis raised social worker and black activist, protested the exclusion of black workers from federal contracts and jobs related to the construction of the Arch. President Lyndon B Johnson had just signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law, the Arch protest was led from a similar picketing of The Jefferson Bank and Trust in 1963, to convince the bank to hire black people for white-collar jobs.

To understand Green’s protest, one must understand the history behind the construction of the Arch: how did the Arch come to be? Why is it important for us to understand the history of it?

The arch was designed by Eero Saarinen in 1947 for a nationwide competition in 1948. Saarinen is also well known for designing the Washington Dulles International Airport outside of Washington D.C., and the TWA Flight Center in New York City. “He was born in 1910 and died in 1961 before the Arch was completed” said park ranger Jenny Burney.

In terms of shape, most people had designs similar to the Washington Monument, but Saarinen’s stood out. “His was so unique and different from anybody else’s design,” said Burney. “It makes a shape of a gateway and [St. Louis] is the gateway to the west,” she added. “All the pioneers came through here, and Lewis and Clark started their core of discovery through here.” “The Louisiana Purchase was [also] made here,” said Burney. “The area that is now the Arch was the world’s largest public parking lot for about 25 years, and before that it was a 30-block mixeduse district with commercial, industrial, and a smaller proportion of apartments” said Clayton High School history teacher Daniel Glossenger. “The residential displacement for the Arch was relatively small compared to other larger renewal efforts in the 20th century. The majority of people in the area were renters, and absentee landlords and low quality apartments were a problem in the area in the 1920s and 1930s”. On October 9, 1939, mayor Bernard F. Dickmann ordered demolition of the district, eventually creating the largest public parking lot, and later transformed into the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, now called Gateway Arch National Park. This $7.5 million land clearance project needed six years of negotiations and agreements for the mayor to have a crowbar in his hands. It wasn’t until 26 years later, after the demolition, when the last piece of the arch was installed. The demolition of the commercial, industrial town was somewhat minuscule in comparison to the problems of economic justice.

“The building of the Arch-- separate from the demolitions, which happened 25 years earlier-- didn’t dramatically change race relations in the area. There were some protests by ACTION and Percy Green that related to economic justice, and in particular, getting Black men jobs on the site. But aside from raising the profile of economic justice, there weren’t major shifts that

can be attributed to the construction itself,” said Glossenger.

In an interview with St. Louis Public Radio, Green said that, “MacDonald (president of MacDonald Construction Company), seemed to feel there weren’t any qualified blacks to be employed. We felt that was the typical mindset of most of the businesses when we began to talk to them about jobs. And, mind you, the military was full of blacks, and blacks were operating all types of equipment, including construction equipment.”

Green, accompanied by Dick Daly, a white college student, decided to climb the Arch in protest, climbing up to 125 feet. “They sent a policeman up. There was an elevator up the side of the Arch. They had a policeman try to talk us down. He said, ‘You all have made your point, now it’s time to end this demonstration.’ We didn’t listen to him,” said Green. After being arrested for climbing the Arch, Green stressed that he was not just going to walk to jail.

“I didn’t feel that the crime I committed was a greater crime than was committed by builders of the Arch in that they were discriminating against blacks in terms of employment and doing contractual work. The moment they said, ‘You’re under arrest,’ I went limp,” said Green. “We wanted to show that black males were being discriminated against. The system was destroying the family fabric. If the companies were going to discriminate against black males, eliminating them from the possibility of making decent salaries, then they were destroying the family unit,” said Green. There was a whole community in the 47 blocks demolished.

There is always a story behind a demolition, and when we begin to pay attention to those stories, we can find truth in how people were really treated. Percy Green’s story not only highlights the discrimination of black workers in the construction of the Arch, but also the tokenization of black people in higher paying jobs.

“Instead, they tokenize the effort. We never had black phone installers or meter readers. Now, you see some. But not to the extent that there should be,” said Green.

The Arch is a very recognizable monument for Saint Louisans, but not many people know the true history behind the arch. It’s recognized as a symbol for the City of St. Louis, the history, and its people as well. Think about how many monuments or places you know that have been demolished for a “bigger” and “better” facility. Some of those projects may work to help the community, but some do an immense amount of damage to existing families and communities. As the monument’s 56th anniversary has passed, we must continue to apply the same lens of curiosity to other monuments around us and remember-every building has a story. (Above) Activist Percy Green poses in front of the completed Gateway Arch. (Left) Green is arrested after climbing the Gateway Arch in protest for Black inclusion of labor during the construction of the monument.

PHOTO FROM THE DRED SCOTT FOUNDATION

The History of Black Golf in Forest Park

The nostalgia and legacy of Saint Louis’s greatest natural gem: the effects of “Separate but Equal” and the history of Black golfers.

BY ZOE DANIELS-SANKEY | REPORTER

The golf course in Forest Park placed restrictions on the participation of Black athletes until after World War II.

Though Forest Park is known for its well established urban park and outdoor recreation, there is surprisingly a lot to be said about its sports history, particularly the story behind its golfing history.

The park is massive, covering 1,326 acres of land which opened in 1876. The park hosted several historical events such as the 1904 Summer Olympics and the Louisiana Purchase Exposition of 1904. The park received its name because the majority of the land was considered to be virgin forest until around 1875 when the park became a part of the city.

In 1887, the Amateur Athletic Association was formed. The formation of this association led to several extra additions to the park including a nine-hole golf course.

Something to keep in mind is that the parks only allowed to have access to the recreational sport that you love by decree of a judge. In his book, Hall mentions that for the first couple of years, none of the Black golfers even came to play, and they protested to have the chance to play on different days with extended time.

However, with the realization that nothing was going to change any time soon, they accepted their fate and soon enough there were players who would come to the course every Monday morning to play with the time they had been given.

Luckily enough for them, their patience benefited them in the long run. In 1931, the Paramount Golf Club became an organization and was one of the very first Black golf clubs west of the Mississippi.

themselves were not officially legally segregated but functioned with a type of social segregation.

In 1922, there were a total of four African-American golfers in St. Louis, including Floyd Hall Jr. who wrote, “The Boys in the Park: A History of Black Golf in Forest Park and Across the Metropolitan Region.”

In the hopes of satisfying the “separate but equal” politics while also paying attention to the Black golfers, Circuit Judge Moses Hartmann established rules stating that the Black golfers could have access to the course but only on Monday mornings.

It wasn’t until after World War II that segregation of the Park’s facilities ended, including the tennis courts and golf courses.

Imagine living in a time where you were