ST. LOUIS — When the Gateway Arch was being built, Don Bohler had a dream of wanting to be able to say that he worked on the 630-foot-tall monument one day, and in 1964, a job opportunity opened up for him.

What You Need To Know

  • October 2022 marks the 57th anniversary of the completion of the Arch. A "Meet the Builder's" reunion is planned for Saturday

  • One St. Louisian recalls his experience with helping tear down the support scaffolding used to build the Arch. “The worst part was when you took the last bolt loose, the beam would swing out probably three or four feet or maybe sometimes less, and it would swing out and kind of giving you a little scare," said Dan Bohler.

  • Weighing 43,226 tons with 900 tons of stainless steel, the construction of the Arch was completed on Oct. 28, 1965

This month marks the 57th anniversary of the completion of the Arch and visitors will have a chance to meet engineers, tradesmen and support staff who contributed to the construction Saturday, Oct. 29, as they will reunite in celebration of when the final piece of the Arch was put into place, according to a press release.

Weighing 43,226 tons with 900 tons of stainless steel, the construction of the Arch was completed on Oct. 28, 1965.

After multiple attempts in getting a job at the Arch site, Bohler was told a whole new crew was needed to help clean up.  He was hired to be an iron worker and helped take down the outside track used to build the structure. 

“The first day, we went up on the derrick floor, and then we went from the derrick floor to the track and we got onto the track and started dismantling the track,” he said. “Taking the bolts loose, and taking the pieces of the track down. The track had an inch and a quarter bolt.”

Bohler was 21 years old at the time and said the job took three months to complete.

“It wasn’t really that hard of a job. It was just in kind of a bad spot because it was up outside of the Arch with no handrails or nothing really to hang onto other than the track itself,” he said.

“The worst part was when you took the last bolt loose, the beam would swing out probably three or four feet or maybe sometimes less, and it would swing out and kind of giving you a little scare.”

Over the course of the job, Bohler said he learned a lot from watching more experienced workers. He remembers being paid $2.68 an hour.

Bohler noted that the draw was being able to say that you worked on the Arch.

“When we went down there, it was just like going to a regular job other than it was the Arch,” he said.

At the end of the job, he received a medallion.

The “Meet the Builders” event is from 10 a.m. to noon in the Arch tram lobby where Bohler and a group of builders will share memories, private memorabilia and photographs with attendees.

The event is free and open to all ages. Commemorative posters will be available for purchase that visitors can have signed by the builders.

“As we reflect on 57 years of the Gateway Arch, we are reminded of the history it represents and the many stories it tells, from St. Louis’ role in the westward expansion of the United States and those who shaped American history, to the builders who worked for years to construct it, to what it means to us today,” said Pam Sanfilippo, program manager, Museum Services & Interpretation, Gateway Arch National Park.

“Our annual Meet the Builders event is the opportunity to meet history and hear stories of the Arch’s construction.”

A video featuring interviews with multiple builders will play before the screening of the award-winning documentary “Monument to the Dream.