According to the San Franciso Chronicle, The U.S. National Park Service is reviewing plans to revitalize the 91-acre park that surrounds the St. Louis Arch. Parts of the park, which is called the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, include ponds and walkways that mirror the movement of the arch. There also are roads and highways that run across the grounds, and limit the connection between the park and city. Furthermore, the park doesn't comply with the American With Disabilities Act. 

Former U.S. Senator John Danforth, who has pledged USD 50 million of funds from his family's charity, the Danforth Foundation, to turn the park into a cultural attraction, has already spent USD 2 million studying the park's problems. Danforth calls for an international design competition, which would include plans for a museum.

Opponents of the Danforth Foundation plans argue that the relationship between the park and arch is historically significant, and the work of landscape architect Dan Kiley shouldn't be altered. The Cultural Landscape Foundation has weighed in, saying that "you start putting in buildings and it changes the geometry significantly."

The Park Service argues that any development needs to respect the park's National Historic Landmark status. The Park Service will announce four plans for the park in January.

Read the full article