February 27, 2017

In 2016 we saw the completion of many components of the CityArchRiver project, including the central riverfront, the north gateway, the east slopes, and park pathways. Throughout the year, roughly 300 people participated in guided tours of the renovations. The museum construction is currently underway, and Kiener Plaza is nearing completion.

Through four different events, CityArchRiver Foundation brought more than 17,000 visitors to the Arch grounds last year. The largest event was the inaugural Winterfest at the Arch, which was an event series bringing more than 10,000 people to Luther Ely Smith Square and the Old Courthouse. The main component was the ice skating rink in Luther Ely Smith Square. 2016 also marked the August debut of Blues at the Arch, a hit concert series in partnership with the National Blues Museum. Our partners at Great Rivers Greenway threw the Picnic on the Riverfront in June that drew 3,000 people to celebrate the central riverfront ribbon-cutting with a 2,016 foot long community picnic table, live music, and food trucks. Finally, the Yoga at the Arch series provided an opportunity for fitness programming with the Arch as a monumental backdrop.

In 2017, the CityArchRiver Foundation looks forward to additional progress on construction and events at the Arch. To learn more about last year and the foundation’s future plans, click here to read the CityArchRiver 2017 Update.

For questions about this report, please tweet to @CityArchRiver with the hashtag #ArchReport or write to the CityArchRiver Foundation here: www.cityarchriver.org/news-and-updates/contact-us/.