The vista of the Gateway Arch and the Old House is so awe-inspiring that there is a Yelp Business Listing independent of the Gateway Arch and The Old Courthouse called "Gateway Arch and Old Courthouse." The prime location to capture the two St. Louis iconic landmarks is from Kiener Plaza.
Kiener Plaza is a two block downtown park bounded by North 7th Street to the west, Chestnut Street to the north, North Broadway to the east, and Market Street to the south. It is a park unit of the St. Louis Gateway Mall ( https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Louis_Gateway_Mall#Kiener Plaza) whicho is a block wide linear park that connects the Gateway Arch to the northern entrance of Union Station. Essentially the linear park is aligned with the Gateway Arch and the Old Courthouse. It is on account of this alignment that Kiener Plaza is an unequaled spot to take in this magnificent sight.
Throughout our time in St. Louis we'd see Kiener Plaza. It took little effort to see it because it was right off 7th Street, the street we often traveled between the Embassy Suites and Busch Stadium. It is from the 7th Street periphery that the park provides the unparalled views. It is from this point where I frequently admired the Gateway Arch forming an upside down "U" over the Old Courthouse dome. Near the southwest corner the 7th Street viewpoint includes a splash pad. Capture it at the right time, and you get a bit of a water world image of the Gateway Arch with the Old Courthouse.
Throughout the park, the western topography is a series of marble, granite, and concrete pavers that create an inviting texture to the ground. Gardens, benches, movable furniture, around 140 trees, and a Statue are interspersed in the colorful paver texture. The children's playground features its own unique ground texture and color schemes. Contrasting from the west side topography is the grassy lawn on the east side near the Old Courthouse. The grassy lawn is an ideal location for gatherings and events.
On a far smaller scale than the Gateway Arch and the Old Courthouse is the Statue in the center. This Statue is "The Olympic Runner" by William Zorach. Guess who the Statue is based after? "Tadah!" The famous St. Louisan that the park is named after: Harry J. Kiener. He gained popularity after competing in the U.S track team at the 1904 Olympics that was held in St. Louis at the same time as the World's Fair. The Statue built in his honor is complemented by a water fountain feature with LED lights that have the ability to change color.
We spent some time sitting on a bench near "The Olympic Runner." This bench provided me with a northern view towards the junction of Chestnut Street at the southernmost point of North Sixth Street. It was a view of parking garage towers with a T.G.I. Friday's at street level. Considering that a public restroom is nonexistent, this T.G.I. Friday's could come in handy. If you decide to walk from the north entrance to T.G.I. Friday's or another destination, please be mindful that you will be crossing the only dedicated bicycle lane in downtown St. Louis.
If I had been in this spot years prior to 1962 when the park was created, my feet would be in either the Old Lacleda Hotel or Senate Theater. Now if I'd been here prior to May 2017, my feet would be in a much different park. The Kiener Park that I visited in Summer 2018 is a refurbished park that cost approximately $23.7 million dollars. A year later it still looks new.
Based on my time here, I am going to dedicate this paragraph to share something else about this park that gets under the radar of many visitors. When you face northwest it overlooks one of the first skyscrapers. That building on the northwest corner of 7th at Chestnut Streets is the Wainwright Building ( https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wainwright Building). I spent a few minutes admiring it in the shade of a wood garden planted with native Missouri fauna. The marble, granite, and concrete pavers complimented the reddish brown texture of the Wainwright Building.
To capture the magnificent sight of the Old Courthouse with the Gateway Arch is to capture time in Kiener Plaza. It is a "Must See!" when visiting St. Louis. read more