photograph by Jason Gray
CityArchRiver and Great Rivers Greenway celebrated the partial opening of the redesigned Arch Grounds with an all-day event including a 2016-foot long picnic table, fireworks, live music and more. Photo Flood Saint Louis was invited to cover this event.
photograph by Ryan Archer
photograph by John MacEnulty
photograph by Shelly Cendroski
photograph by Dawn Loehr
photograph by Ryan Archer
On Thursday, June 2, the newly renovated Leonore K. Sullivan Boulevard (named for the consumer advocate and first Missouri woman to enter Congress) was reopened to the public. This warf road parallels both the Gateway Arch and Mississippi Rivers, and has been closed for some time as work on the redesigned arch grounds is ongoing.
“This new front door for our region celebrates the energy, adventure and awe of the mighty Mississippi and our iconic Gateway Arch.” –Susan Trautman, Executive Director of Great Rivers Greenway.
photograph by John MacEnulty
photograph by Diane Cannon Piwowarczyk
photograph by Jason Gray
photograph by Diane Cannon Piwowarczyk
photograph by Michelle Bates
At 5p, festivities commenced with a ribbon cutting to officially open the 1.5-mile stretch of riverfront to a large crowd of revelers. As part of the renovation, much of this public space was raised about two feet, a height meant to significantly decrease flooding, and to return more days of the year to the community for recreational activities. The event proceeded with music performances, a bevy of food trucks, and the picnic itself (photographed by helicopter at 5:15p).
Our experiences at the reopening were very positive, with groups of smiling, happy St. Louisans enjoying the warm sun and celebratory atmosphere. At 8:30p, the organizers returned fireworks to the riverfront for the first time in several years with a short but beautiful display.
photograph by Michelle Bates
photograph by Amanda Krebel
Allen Casey
photograph by Amanda Krebel
photograph by Jason Gray
“The historic riverfront is an important part of the story of the St. Louis region- it’s time to reconnect with our roots and make sure the riverfront is part of our future.” –Mayor Francis Slay.
The renovated riverfront is the second project completed in the ongoing CityArchRiver campaign. As more phases near completion, Photo Flood Saint Louis hopes to return and document these history-making events.
photograph by Jason Gray
photograph by Allen Casey
photograph by Amanda Krebel
photograph by Ann Aurbach
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