July 4, 2018
Reimaging the Arch The new Museum at the Gateway Arch opened on July 3 with a focus on accessibility and interaction
Around Town Largest lineup yet announced for LouFest 2018. Pg. 3 Need a good Book? Check out a Local Author Spotlight. Pg. 4
Business
By Charlotte Beard The new Museum at the Gateway Arch opened on July 3. The opening was kicked off with a ribbon cutting ceremony by the new West Entrance followed by the opening to the public. The museum changes are part of the overall City Arch River project. Tom Nagel, Communications Manager for Gateway Arch Park Foundation (formerly City Arch River Foundation), shared that the project was a collaboration with National Park Service, Great Rivers Greenway, Bi-State Development, Jefferson National Parks Association, and Missouri Department of Transportation (MODOT). The project’s overall cost was $380 million. “It comes from many different sources,” said Nagel. “This is a public-private partnership; a really unique way of achieving a new visitor experience, solving a lot of issues with infrastructure and reimagining the Arch for the future. It took a lot of partners and different funding sources.” In the past, visitors would enter the museum at the legs of the Arch. Now they will enter a glass door entrance to an airconditioned lobby. There is an Explore St. Louis information desk with volunteers to provide information about things to do in the St. Louis region. Also, there is easy access to restrooms upon entering and the ticket counter to purchase tickets for the ride to the top of the Arch or a riverboat cruise. The museum visit is free. “Once you walk down into the museum, the exhibits are totally renovated. It’s still about the westward expansion period with the United States but there is also a huge focus on St. Louis’ role. You’ll learn all about St. Louis’ history from its founding in 1764 to the completion of the Gateway Arch in
Hazelwood officials join other local dignitaries breaking ground for TradePort’s first speculative building. P.6
Features
Recipe, Movie & Sudoku. Pg. F-1 CLASSIFIEDS AND HOME & GARDEN. Pg. F-2 /F-3 Moore On Life, Yeggs & Crossword Puzzle. Pg. F-4 Photo courtesy the Gateway Arch Park Foundation
1965 – 201 years of history.” The museum has also updated how it accommodates visitors of various abilities. They have incorporated a universal design element. “The museum designers are thinking differently about how they create exhibits now,” stated Nagel. “Old museums might be objects in glass cases that you can’t touch and can only see, and it might have a caption that you can only see and read. The new museum…everything is designed with our universal design in mind. For many of our artifacts, you’ll see the real thing in the display case but outside the display case we’ll
have tactile models where you can touch the artifacts. Things like tools that American Indians used, tools that fur trappers would have used. We have some interesting architectural things in the museum like a recreation of a French colonial house. You can walk into that house but next to it is a tactile model, so you can feel what the whole structure looks like. That’s for people who are blind or (have problem) seeing, but really learners of all ages want to touch and experience things using more than one sense.” See ‘ARCH’ page 2
Serving North & Northwest St. Louis County | FREE Online at mycnews.com | Vol. 97 No. 27 | 636-379-1775
Weather FRIDAY Thunderstorms Likely 91/70 SATURDAY Sunny 88/70 SUNDAY Sunny 90/70 FirstWarn Weather
prepared by meteorologist Nick Palisch. For the latest updates visit www.facebook.com/nickswx.