St. Louis Gateway Arch
St. Louis Gateway Arch celebrated its' 40th Anniversary in 2005! The St. Louis signature attraction opened in 1965 to honor President Thomas Jefferson and his vision of a continental United States.
St. Louis: A History of Our Community
St. Louis was French and Spanish before it was American. And before the European explorers traveled down the great river, this rich land was home to the Mississippians, a mighty Indian civilization of mound builders where more than 20,000 people lived in the fertile river valley. When that culture disappeared during Europe's Middle Ages, only their huge, mysterious earthen structures were left, earning St. Louis one of its earliest nicknames, "Mound City."
Of Pierre Laclede Liguest, the founder of St. Louis, but little of his personal history is known, further than the fact that he was a native of France, and a partner in the commercial house of Maxent, Laclede & Co., of New Orleans, for some years prior to his adventure to this Upper Louisiana in 1763-64. Nor have we much to relate concerning him during the fourteen years of his residence in this his "village of St. Louis," as whatever documents there might have been in possession of himself or family, at the period of his death in 1778, that might have enlightened us in relation to his personal history, went into the possession of Auguste Chouteau, his principal business companion and clerk during these fourteen years. Consequently whatever we may have to say of Pierre Laclede Liguest is derived mainly from the facts concerning him that are to be found in the archives and from tradition.
St. Louis was built in Spanish territory on a high bluff just 18 miles south of the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers -- a perfect site from which to trade with Native Americans in the fur-rich lands to the west. France regained rights to St. Louis and the west again in 1800, but Napoleon sold the Louisiana Territory to President Thomas Jefferson in 1803 without taking possession. Overnight the size of the United States doubled.
When Jefferson sent explorers Lewis & Clark from St. Louis to chart the new Louisiana Territory in 1804, more than 1,000 people, mostly French, Spanish, Indian and both free and slave blacks, lived in the city which already was the center of the fur trade in America. Two years later, after the triumphant explorers returned from the Pacific with their Corps of Discovery, St. Louis became the last stop for mountain men and trappers heading to the newly opened frontier. St. Louis' booming fur trade lasted until 1840, but the westward movement of Americans through St. Louis -- "the gateway to the west" -- was to last for many more years. For decades, entrepreneurs would make fortunes in St. Louis by selling goods to pioneers and adventurers who gathered their supplies and headed west for land, gold, and glory.
The first steamboat arrived in St. Louis in 1817, heralding a new era of commerce and travel along the Mississippi River. Soon it was common to see more than 100 steamboats lining the cobblestone levee during the day. This was the Mississippi River Mark Twain came to know as a riverboat pilot and later as an author. In 1849, a deadly fire destroyed one-third of the city when the steamboat White Cloud exploded on the riverfront. Two historic structures, the Old Courthouse and Old Cathedral, both of which are open to visitors today, were saved by a quick-thinking fireman who lost his life setting and explosion that kept the flames away from both buildings.
The famous race between the Robert E. Lee and the Natchez was made in July 1870 from New Orleans to St. Louis, 1,278 river miles. The race was won by the Lee with a time of 3 days 18 hours and 14 minutes.
The Civil War divided St. Louis just as it divided the nation. Missouri stayed in the Union as a slave state and abolitionists shared the streets of the booming city with slaveholders. The Dred Scott trials -- which began at the Old Courthouse downtown -- led the nation to Civil War through their eventual outcome in the Supreme Court of the United States denying citizenship and rights to slaves. The area's Civil War connections can be explored in more depth today at White Haven, the Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site, and at the Jefferson Barracks Historic Park where Grant served with other soldiers including Robert E. Lee, prior to the war.
In 1874, the completion of the Eads Bridge across the Mississippi heralded a new day for the Iron Horse. As railroads grew, steamboat traffic declined. St. Louis became a major industrial center with more than 100 breweries operating in the city. The largest brewer, Anheuser-Busch, maintains its world headquarters in St. Louis today and offers free tours of its historic complex just minutes south of the Arch. Brewing history is also explored at tours of the Schlafly Bottleworks. Clothing and shoe manufacturers also thrived in the city. Today the former garment district, located along Washington Avenue downtown, is alive with new residential loft developments, restaurants, cutting-edge retail, nightclubs and the quirky attraction called City Museum, built in the former International Shoe warehouse. This is the St. Louis the world called, "first in shoes, first in booze and last in the American League," a reference to the St. Louis Browns baseball club.
New immigrants changed the face of St. Louis throughout the 19th century. Joining the French, Spanish, Indians and African descendents were Germans who settled in St. Louis and along the Rhine-like Missouri River valley, Irish who escaped the famine on their island, Italians who worked the clay mines and newcomers from many nations who heard about the great city on the Mississippi where fortunes could be made.
By 1890, the U.S. Census declared that the frontier had closed and America held no more unexplored and undiscovered lands. To honor St. Louis' role in the westward expansion of the United States, civic leaders planned a grand World's Fair -- the Louisiana Purchase Exposition. The 1904 celebration, held in Forest Park, recognized the 100th anniversary of the Louisiana Purchase. The park was transformed into a glittering expanse of palaces and attractions, drawing 20 million visitors and exhibits from 43 countries over seven months. Popular new foods, including the ice cream cone and iced tea, were introduced to a wide public at the fair. Scott Joplin's new ragtime music enthralled visitors and the song "Meet Me in St. Louis, Louis" summed up the most glorious time St. Louis has ever seen. The fair, and the 1904 Olympic Games, which took place on the fairgrounds and at Washington University that same summer, defined St. Louis as a world-class city. The legacy of the Fair is explored in a permanent exhibit at the Missouri History Museum.
The first International Balloon Race was held in St. Louis in 1908 and less than 20 years later aviation was still in the forefront when Charles Lindbergh captured the world's imagination by crossing the Atlantic non-stop. His 1927 solo flight from New York to Paris took place in an airplane nicknamed Spirit of St. Louis thanks to the financial backing of local businessmen. Aviation continues to play a major role in St. Louis today with Boeing's military manufacturing operations located in the area. St. Louis also is home to the X Prize, designed to jump start space tourism just as Lindbergh's capture of the Orteig Prize boosted commercial aviation. The X Prize awarded $10 million in late 2004 to the first team to send a reusable vehicle into space within a two-week period. Visitors can learn more about flight and space travel at Boeing's Prologue Room at the Challenger Learning Center and at the St. Louis Science Center in Forest Park.
St. Louis' love of its past is reflected in the number of grand homes open throughout the year. For an in-depth look at St. Louis' history, visitors can explore the galleries in the Old Courthouse, the Museum of Westward Expansion at the Gateway Arch and the Missouri History Museum where a replica of Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis airplane is a highlight. The Lewis and Clark expedition is chronicled and pioneer life is interpreted by National Park Service rangers at the Museum of Westward Expansion. The explorers also take center stage at the Lewis and Clark State Historic Site and the Lewis and Clark Boathouse.
St. Louis Sports History
St. Louis has a storied sports history. Among the notable highlights:
St. Louis hosted the first major horse show in the country, the St. Louis Horse Show, as the main event of a fair in 1856. The St. Louis National Charity Horse Show, held annually in the early fall, is rated among the top three horse shows in the nation.
In 1900, St. Louis Dwight Davis donated a trophy, the Davis Cup, which is still the most prized team award in tennis.
In 1904, St. Louis was the site of the third Olympic games of modern times and the first ever held in the United States. The 1904 Olympics were held on the campus of Washington University, which also hosted the first-ever U.S. National Senior Olympics in 1987. To celebrate the centennial of the St. Louis games, a series of Olympic events took place in 2004 including the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for the Women's Marathon and for Diving. Winners from the St. Louis events competed for the U.S. in Athens.
In 1906, Saint Louis University quarterback Bradbury Robinson threw the first forward pass in the history of football. It was caught by tight end Jack Schneider.
The Women's International Bowling Congress was started in 1916.
In 1920, St. Louis-born George H. Walker put up a trophy for competition between United States and British golfers. The Walker Cup, contested every other year, is still one of golf's most treasured prizes.
The St. Louis Cardinals were the only team in baseball to win three pennants in the 1980's and have won more baseball World Series championships (9) than any other National League team. St. Louis is known as a savvy baseball town so much so that Sports Illustrated and Baseball America magazines have called it America's Best Baseball City.
Known as "The Wizard of Oz," Ozzie Smith combined athletic ability with acrobatic skill to become one of the game's great defensive shortstops. The 13-time Gold Glove Award winner set major league shortstop records for assists, double plays and total chances. He would develop into an offensive weapon, finishing with over 2,400 hits and 500 stolen bases. His ninth inning home run won the fifth game of the 1985 National League Championship Series. Ozzie was elected to the Hall of Fame by Baseball Writers in 2002, Player 433 votes on 472 ballots -- 91.4%.
One of baseball's all-time greats, Hall of Famer Stan "The Man" Musial, played his entire career for the St. Louis Cardinals. Musial, who still lives and works in St. Louis, has a career batting average of .331, a career total of 3630 hits, was named National League Most Valuable Player three times and played in the All-Star game 19 times. Musial was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969.
Thirty-seven Cardinals plus broadcaster Jack Buck and former broadcaster Harry Caray have been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame at Cooperstown, NY. Fifteen baseball Cardinals have won the National League Most Valuable Player Award. Lou Brock, who retired in 1979 after 16 seasons with the Cardinals, held the National League record for stolen bases in a career (938) for many years.
Baseball history was made in St. Louis' Busch Stadium in 1998 when St. Louis Cardinal slugger Mark McGwire hit a record 70 home runs during a single season.
In 2004, the St. Louis Cardinals became the National League Champions and posted 105 wins -the most in the Major Leagues.
St. Louis continued a century-old tradition of making major news in the world of sports when the St. Louis Rams became the champions of the first Super Bowl of the millennium. It's the first time in history that a St. Louis team played in the NFL championship event. The Rams clinched the world championship title on January 30, 2000 with a 23 - 16 victory over the Tennessee Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV. Football fans voted St. Louis' victory as the "best Super Bowl ever" according to a CNNSI.com poll. The Rams won the NFC Championship again in the 2001 season and returned to Super Bowl XXXVI.
Football's greatest tight end, Hall of Famer Jackie Smith is a resident of St. Louis. Much of his illustrious career was spent with the Cardinals in St. Louis. Dan Dierdorf, a recent inductee into the Football Hall of Fame, is also a resident of St. Louis. A former broadcaster for the ABC television network, Dierdorf was a key player for the St. Louis Football Cardinals.
The St. Louis Blues are the only NHL team to appear in the playoffs every year in the 1980's and 1990's. Since joining the National Hockey League in 1967, the Blues have missed the Stanley Cup playoffs only four times. The team takes to the ice at the 20,000-seat Savvis Center in downtown St. Louis.
The old St. Louis Arena hosted the 1973 and 1978 NCAA basketball Final Four and served as host for several NCAA regional championships. The 1998 men's regionals were held in St. Louis at Savvis Center and returned in 1999 taking the court at The Edward Jones Dome at America's Center. The Edward Jones Dome at America's center holds the attendance record for an NCAA Regional event. More than 42,000 fans jammed the Dome for each of the tournament's three games that took place in St. Louis on March 19 and 20, 1999.
The 2000 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships held at St. Louis' Savvis Center, March 15 - 18, 2000, sold the most all-session tickets in the 69-year history of the event. The record-breaking attendance of 96,994 surpassed the previous record set in 1997 when 90,064 people watched the championship matches.
The United States Senior Open Championship came to St. Louis in 2004. The golf championship celebrated its 25th anniversary milestone in the Gateway City.
St. Louis Music History
W.C. Handy stood on the banks of the Mississippi River in St. Louis and made his mark on the world of music. We presume he watched the muddy waters slip by his perch on the levee stones, closed his eyes to mark the moment and whispered, "I hate to see the evenin' sun go down." The song born of his riverfront reverie was called "The St. Louis Blues" and it has become of the world's most recorded song, cementing St. Louis' place in the world of American roots music forever.
Handy's contemporary, Scott Joplin, was a regular in the nightspots around St. Louis during the time of the 1904 World's Fair. His ragtime tunes were the Rock'n'Roll of the era -- the music of the counter culture. Some of Joplin's most important works were created while he played for society during the day and in the sporting houses and clubs of St. Louis at night.
Joplin's house, 2658A Delor, St. Louis, Missouri 63103, a Missouri State Historic Landmark, is open daily for tours.
Jazz influences steamed into town aboard northbound riverboats from New Orleans where they blended with Joplin's established ragtime and encountered a great migration of blues musicians from the Mississippi delta region. The integration of these musical styles created a sound that took its name from Handy's famous composition and became known as the St. Louis Blues.
In the late 1940s and early 1950s, the St. Louis blues were joined by a new sound -- rhythm and blues. Developed in the nightclubs of St. Louis and Memphis, the sound was described as a "driving dance beat combined with a bluesy delivery." St. Louisians Ike and Tina Turner were at the forefront of this St. Louis sound and R&B quickly grew to fill a popular music void created after the end of the Big Band jazz era. Bands from St. Louis, Memphis and New Orleans took to the road, playing nightclubs and dancehalls across America, spreading St. Louis' distinctive and innovative approach to music across the country and around the world. Today bands carry on the tradition of live St. Louis music clubs throughout the region.
The annual U.S. Bank St. Louis Jazz Festival takes place in June in the Clayton neighborhood, and the Whitaker Music Festival lights up the Missouri Botanical Garden Wednesday nights in June and July. A free concert series called Blues on the Mississippi takes place throughout June, July, and August in Jefferson Barracks Park. The Big Muddy Blues Festival rocks Labor Day weekend in the Laclede's Landing entertainment district, bringing the biggest names in blues to the cobblestone streets for days of free music. For additional music, festival and event information, check the interactive and constantly updated
St. Louis Calendar of Events.
St. Louis is the gateway to America's Music Corridor, a self-guided blues, jazz and rock'n'roll tour that links the musical heritage of the lower Mississippi River region from St. Louis to New Orleans. Winner of the Travel Industry Association's prestigious Odyssey Award for the best cultural tourism program in the country, America's Music Corridor offers visitors a chance to explore the history of American music at historic sites such as the Scott Joplin House in St. Louis, Sun Studios in Memphis and the Jazz Museum in New Orleans. After hours, visitors can listen to the living legends of roots music in nightclubs along the route.
Old Cathedral
Basilica of St. Louis, King of France
The history of the Old Cathedral and the early history of the City of St. Louis are intertwined. The Old Cathedral Museum, located on the west side of the Cathedral, contains many artifacts and relics from the early days of the Catholic Church in St. Louis and also historical information. When Pierre Liguest Laclede and his First Lieutenant Auguste Chouteau founded the City of St. Louis in 1764, Laclede dedicated the square just west of where he built his home, to church and graveyard purposes. The first Catholic Church in St. Louis built on this site, was a small log house built in 1770. St. Louis IX, King of France, is the Patron Saint of the City and of the Church. In 1776, the mission of St. Louis became a canonical parish and the second log cabin church was built. Its bell, the gift of Lieutenant Governor Don Piernos and enriched by 200 Spanish silver dollars in its casting, can be seen today in the Old Cathedral Museum.
In 1826 St. Louis became a Diocese and the following year Bishop Joseph Rosati, C.M. became the first bishop of the Diocese of St. Louis. The cornerstone of the present Cathedral building was laid in 1831 and the dedication of the building took place in 1834. This was the first Cathedral west of the Mississippi and until 1845 it was the only parish church in the city of St. Louis. It is truly the "Mother Church" of the City of St. Louis. The first St. Vincent de Paul Society Conference in America was founded in 1845 at this Cathedral. A bronze plaque on the facade of this historic Church commemorates the founding of the St. Vincent de Paul Society in America. The Old Cathedral St. Vincent de Paul Society Conference continues to meet here on a regular basis and helps the poor and homeless in the neighborhood.
This building was the Cathedral of the Archdiocese of St. Louis until 1914, when the New Cathedral on Lindell Blvd in the more "fashionable" western part of the city was dedicated. The title of Cathedral passed from this venerable Church, but to most St. Louisans this Church remained the "Old" Cathedral. During the following years little public attention was drawn to the Old Cathedral. However on Christmas day in 1922, a High Mass, the farewell service of Monsignor Tannrath, then Pastor of the Old Cathedral, was broadcast "live" over Radio Station KSD. This marked the first time that the world heard the broadcast of Holy Mass or any other Christmas liturgical service.
On January 27, 1961, Pope John XXIII signed a Decree naming the former Cathedral of St. Louis, a Basilica, recognizing it as "a treasure of the universal church". It belongs in a real sense to the whole world and not just to our locality. The ornamental insignia of a basilica are the half open umbrella (canopeum), and the bell in the key shaped frame (tintinnabulum) which led papal processions. These insignia are displayed in the rear of the church.
By 1933, some 40 blocks of the downtown riverfront surrounding the Old Cathedral had fallen into decay. Luther Ely Smith, a St. Louisan, spelled out a plan for developing a memorial on the riverfront to Mayor Bernard F. Dickmann who had been married in the Old Cathedral. On December 15, 1933, Mayor Dickmann called a meeting of St. Louis civic leaders in the Jefferson Hotel. From this meeting was born the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial which surrounds the Old Cathedral. President Roosevelt authorized the Interior Department to acquire the tract of the original city settlement between Poplar Street and the Eads Bridge west to Third Street. The only exception, the only building to be saved, the only land not to be claimed for the park, was the site of the church, and the historic Old Cathedral building standing where it has always stood. The memorial commemorates Thomas Jefferson, under whose presidency Louisiana was purchased, and the pioneers who broke open the American west. The Basilica of St. Louis, King of France, "The Old Cathedral" stands in the center of the memorial as a reminder of the expansion of faith throught the west.
Highlights:
- The sanctuary, with four fluted columns in the Corinthian style, is 40 feet long and 30 feet wide.
- Two side altars are dedicated to St. Vincent de Paul, secondary patron of the diocese, and St. Patrick, the Apostle of Ireland.
- A large copy of Velazquez' famed "The Crucifixion" hangs above the main altar.
- An interesting portrait of St. Louis IX, King of France, hangs at the rear of the Cathedral. The painting shows the young man kneeling in front of an altar on the night before his coronation. The portrait was a gift of the King of France in 1818. It was restored in 1949 and 1999.
- Statues of Saint Louis IX and Saint Joan of Arc are near the altar at the front of the Cathedral.
- In a lighted cabinet at the rear of the Cathedral are statues of the Infant of Prague and Our Lady of Fatima.
- Also in the Cathedral are statues of Mary, St. Bernard and St. Teresa.
Museum: Adjacent to the Old Cathedral is a small museum which features a number of interesting artifacts relating to the history of the Cathedral. Among the items displayed are paintings dating to the late 1700s, a collection of relics, an old bell from the original Cathedral, and a piece of a bullet-pierced cross. The museum also houses the tomb of Bishop Rosati, builder of the Old Cathedral. The cross was shot during a demonstration in 1854 when an anti-Catholic group called the "Know-Nothings" protesting against immigration attacked the Old Cathedral intending to burn it down. But an old Irish soldier mounted a brass cannon in front of the Cathedral frightening off the Know-Nothings but not before they fired some wild shots, one of which hit the cross.
New Cathedral
Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis
The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis, also known as the "New Cathedral," is the crown jewel of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Louis. A magnificent structure, the cathedral is Romanesque in style on the exterior and Byzantine on the interior. The building's distinctive green tile dome cuts a majestic silhouette on the Central West End skyline. Two half domes stand beside the main dome, and pointed twin towers flank the center of the front of the church. On the inside, the two center domes, lesser domes and half domes with their arches reveal the story of the Catholic faith from creation to the last judgment.
The church contains the largest mosaic collection in the world. The mosaic artwork was created by 20 different artists, and covers 83,000 square feet. Installation of the 41.5 million pieces of mosaic glass began in 1912 and was completed in 1988. The Mosaic Museum, with displays on the construction of the building and the creation of its mosaics, is on the lower level of the cathedral.
It has been said the Cathedral "possesses a majesty and magnificence unmatched in the American Midwest." In recognition of its beauty and historical significance, the Cathedral was designated a basilica by Pope John Paul II.
History: The idea of a "new cathedral" was proposed by Archbishop John J. Kain in 1896. In his "The Great St. Louis Cathedral," William Barnaby Faherty, S.J., says that Archbishop Kain wrote that while the Old CAthedral was a grand structure when it was built three-quarters of a century earlier, St. Louis "should have another-more handsome and more worthy of the great Catholic city of the West."
The Archbishop bought property on the northwest corner of Lindell and Newstead and appointed Monsignor James McCaffery pastor. McCaffery built a temporary chapel at the rear of the site facing Newstead. A tornado which ripped through St. Louis in 1896 drained the diocese's funds stalling the project, but John J. Glennon who succeeded Kain revived the idea of a new cathedral and launched a crusade of sorts to have it built. When the Archbishop of Baltimore came to St. Louis a few months later to install Father Glennon as Archbishop, it is said the visiting church dignitaries had a hard time finding the Old Cathedral hidden among the warehouses and brokerage buildings in the area of what is now the Gateway Arch grounds. After the ceremony, the priests gave the new archbishop $60,000 for the cathedral project and 32 laymen pledged $260,000 to the project.
A St. Louis firm, Barnett, Haynes and Barnett, was chosen to design the building. One member of the firm, George Barnett, son of another distinguished St. Louis architect, had designed the Palace of Liberal Arts for the St. Louis World's Fair just two years earlier. Ground was broken on May 1, 1907 and the cornerstone was laid October 18, 1908. As work progressed on the superstructure, Tiffany and Comany of New York undertook in 1912 the two chapels on the west corners of the building. That was the same year installation of the mosaics on the inside of the church began. When the supserstructure was completed in 1914, the first mass was celebrated on October 18, the sixth anniversary of the laying of the cornerstone. On November 2, 1916 the Archbishop presided at the first Solemn Mass on the high altar and the first mass on the high altar was said one day before the United States declared war on Germany in 1917. The centennial of the creation of the Saint Louis Diocese, June 29, 1926, was selected as the day for the consecration of the cathedral. More than 100,000 people lined the streets as the prelates moved to the Cathedral for the procession of the Blessed Sacrament. Installation of the mosaics continues through the years and was not completed until 1988 - eighty years after the cornerstone was laid.
Highlights:
- The narthex or vestibule of the cathedral is decorated with mosaic panels depicting major events in the life of Saint Louis IX, King of France (1214-1270), patron of the church and the king for which the city is named. The lower wall of buff marble symbolizes the earth. The swirling green vines on the barrel vaulted ceiling symbolizes Christ.
- The historic bay and dome at the back of the church depict significant people and events in St. Louis history. The seal of the Archdiocese of St. Louis with a dark blue background surrounded with stars is the dominant feature. The dome is supported by inverted triangular walls called pendentives. They are covered with mosaics depicting American saints. The soffits also depict milestones in the establishment of the Catholic Church in St. Louis-the first mass, the first baptism, the orders of teachers of St. Louis parochial schools, Jesuit missionary work on the frontier, the work of Joseph Cardinal Ritter in desegregating the local parochial schools and the charity work of the religious communities.
- The central dome, 143 feet above the floor, symbolizes the power of God's love. Mosaic panels depict the Holy Trinity, Ezekiel, the woman of the Apocalypse and Elias as well as 16 angels, each with a constellation of stars at its feet. The pendentives depict the Old Testament, the New Testament, Ecclesiastical authority and civil authority.
- The mosaics on the east and west transepts show Jesus' baptism and ascension to heaven, the Holy Spirit's descent on the apostles, the stations of the cross and Christ's resurrection.
- Mosaics in the sanctuary dome picture the 12 apostles with symbols of their lives, images of doctors or teachers of the church, the priesthood of the Old and New Testaments, Old Testament prototypes of the Sacrifice of Jesus and a portrayal of the Last Supper based on the DaVinci fresco in the Cathedral of Milan, Italy. In the sanctuary is the "cathedra" or bishop's chair that makes the church a "cathedral."
- Mosaics in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel, a place reserved for quiet prayer, depict aspects of the gift of Eucharist.
- Italian-style mosaics of the coats of arms of bishops and archbishops of the St. Louis Diocese adorn the Bishops Hall.
- Mosaics depicting Mary's presentation, annunciation, visitation to Elizabeth and the Assumption are in the Blessed Virgin's Chapel. The works were created by the Tiffany Company of New York.
- All Saints Chapel is dedicated to the apostles, confessors, martyrs and virgins who became saints. Cardinal Ritter's cardinal's hat hangs from the ceiling.
- All Souls Chapel utilizes black and white marble to symbolize death and the resurrection. It is also the burial place of Cardinal Glennon, Cardinal Ritter and Archbishop May, leaders of the St. Louis Church.
- The Cathedral Choir sings at the 10 a.m. mass and at Archdiocese celebrations.
- The Cathedral Schola, made up of select musicians, performs special music for various occasions and sings twice monthly at the 12 p.m. Sunday Mass.
- The Cantor program trains parish cantors as well as cantors for Archdiocesan events.
St. Louis Churches
Over 3,500 churches in the local St. Louis area . . .
St. Louis Hospitals
Over 20 hospitals in the local St. Louis area . . .
Like its geographic location - at the population center of the country - St. Louis remains well centered in the worldwide medical community with top talent, two world-renowned teaching hospitals, advanced hospital networks, and many other state-of-the-art facilities.
New residents can take comfort knowing premier healthcare is literally right in their neighborhood at one of the St. Louis hospitals staffed by nearly 7,100 physicians. The city has an enviable ratio of roughly one doctor for every 353 residents.
Lambert-St. Louis International Airport
Lambert-St. Louis International Airport is the 11th busiest in airport operations in North America and 15th in total passengers. Lambert currently has 83 gates with 10 major air carriers serving more than 180 cities worldwide. The airport handles almost 1,400 average daily arrivals and departures. In 2002, Lambert served more than 25 million passengers. Lambert is a hub for American Airlines and generates $5.1 billion annually in the St. Louis economy.
The airport sits on approximately 2,162 acres of land and anticipates acquiring an additional 1,544 acres through its Expansion Program that will be completed in 2006.
Lambert employs over 15,000 people through airlines, vendors, service companies, and the City of St. Louis. Of the 15,000 people, 550 are City of St. Louis employees. The airport is owned and operated by the City of St. Louis.
History: Initially, the area now known as Lambert-St. Louis International Airport was a balloon launch location called Kinloch Field.
President Theodore Roosevelt, the first president to ride in an airplane, took his first ride at the Kinloch airfield. Soon after, the first experimental parachute jump in the world took place in St. Louis. Then Major Albert Lambert purchased the 550 acres of land known as Kinloch Field and renamed it Lambert Field. Major Lambert was the first person in St. Louis to receive his private pilot's license, having taken his first flight in an airplane with Orville Wright.
In June 1920, Major Lambert was not only a man with a dream, but also one with great foresight and generosity. His vision enabled St. Louis to become a key in the growing aviation industry. What many would have viewed as an ordinary hayfield, on June 18, 1920, became a 170 acre airfield. At his own expense, he developed the airfield by clearing, grading, and draining the land and erecting hangars. Eight years later, Lambert's airfield was a base for passenger and freight service.
On May 12, 1927, Col. Charles Lindbergh departed St. Louis for New York to begin his historic non-stop solo flight to Paris, France. About this time, Lambert Field was dubbed :The New Union Station of St. Louis." However, the City of St. Louis had yet to purchase the field as a municipal airport.
In November 1927, Major Lambert offered Mayor Victor Miller and the City Administration, Lambert Airfield for $68,000, the price he had paid for the field alone, even though improvements had been made to the field. The additional acreage was obtained through a passage of a $2 million bond issue. Prior to the passage of the bond issue, Major Lambert agreed to lease the airfield to the city for fifteen months for a total of $1. Finally, on February 7, 1928, the city accepted his generous offer, contingent upon the passage of the airport bond issue. Lambert-St. Louis Municipal Airport became the first municipally owned airport in the country.
Lambert's first passenger terminal was constructed for Robertson Airlines, which featured St. Louis to New Orleans service. Next, Marquette Airlines began service from St. Louis to Detroit. In that year, 24,133 people arrived and departed from Lambert. By 1938, that figure increased to 40,000 passengers with approximately 170,000 landings and take-offs of all types of aircraft. Services at and from Lambert Airfield continued to expand. McDonnell Aircraft was established on Lambert Airfield. That was the predecessor to McDonnell Douglas Corporation, which recently merged with Boeing Aircraft. Service to St. Louis from Nashville, Tn, and Miami, Fl, was begun by Eastern Airlines.
During WWII, airport traffic did not increase at the same rate as in previous years, yet by the same token, St. Louis' industry rapidly became aviation oriented. Three companies came into the forefront: Curtiss-Wright, Robertson, and the McDonnell Aircraft Company. Together, they manufactured over 3,000 military airplanes. Further development came when an air traffic control tower was built atop the Naval Air Reserve Building, and McDonnell Aircraft Corporation purchased land at Lambert to construct factory buildings. Proceeds from the sale of the land were used in airport improvements.
In 1956, Minuro Yamasaki's domed design for Lambert's main terminal became the forerunner of modern terminal building plans. Both the John F. Kennedy Airport in New York and the Charles DeGualle Airport in Paris, France followed the lead of the domed design of Lambert's Main Terminal. The present four-dome main terminal was built originally with three domes; the fourth followed a few years later.
The "Jet Transportation Era" began at Lambert with the inauguration of Trans World Airlines' Boeing 707 service. Around this time, McDonnell Aircraft Corporation started assembling the Mercury series spacecraft at Lambert. Just after that, McDonnell Aircraft merged with Douglas Aircraft Company. Working together, McDonnell Douglas watched the first production model of the F-4E Phantom make its first flight.
By the mid-1970s, both parallel runways had been extended, instrument landing systems were added, and the operational capacity of the airfield was increased by 50 percent. In addition, new taxiways and aircraft ramp spaces had been created. Terminal expansion brought gate capacity to 81 gates. The overall cost of expansion upon completion was approximately $290 million, with an economic impact of $2 billion to the St. Louis area. Lambert's traffic figures increased to 458,293 aircraft operations and 20 million passengers. That breaks down to 54,000 travelers per day, just about the population of Columbia, Missouri. This surpassed previous studies which projected an average of 5 to 8 percent annual increase.
In 1987, construction began on an 18-mile long light-rail transportation system to be called MetroLink. Completed in July 1993, the system now connects Lambert-St. Louis International Airport with nineteen St. Louis stations or stops.
In 1996, over 27 million passengers traveled through the airport. The airfield is comprised of 3 runways, varying in length from 11,000 feet to 3,000 feet. There are 10 major airlines and 5 commuter airlines that use the 81 gates within the 4 concourses at Lambert.
Highlights:
- Lambert is home to the James S. McDonnell USO, the largest airport USO in the world. A 5,700 sq. ft. modern, efficient facility, 450 volunteers work three shifts to accommodate 300 to 400 military members and their families 24 hours a day.
- Charles Lindbergh's personal Monocoupe plane hangs in the main terminal.
- One of the world's largest airport murals, "Aviation . . . An American Triumph," is on display on the lower level of the main terminal. This 142-foot painting traces the history of flight from ancient mythology to modern aviation and space technology. Siegfried Reinhardt, a long-time St. Louisan, was commissioned to paint the mural.
- The extraordinary mural titled "Black Americans in Flight" can be viewed on the lower level. This mural was painted by local artists, the late Spencer Taylor and Solomon Thurman, Jr. Fifty-one feet long, it depicts African Americans' achievements in aviation from 1917 to the present.
- MetroLink, St. Louis' 17-mile long light rail transportation system, connects the airport's main terminal and east terminal and links the airport with downtown St. Louis and many points of interest in between. The MetroLink fare is $3 from the airport to any point along the system. Passengers with layovers often take advantage of MetroLink to see the Gateway Arch or other St. Louis attractions.
- Carriers serving Lambert-St. Louis International Airport include: Air Canada, American, America West, Canadian Air, Comair, Continental, Delta, Midwest Express, Northwest/KLM, Southwest, United and US Air.
Spirit of St. Louis Airport
Spirit of St. Louis Airport has been the Business Aviation Center of the Midwest for more than 40 years. Much more than just a place to land, it is a benefit-packed resource for pilots, passengers, and businesses that use and serve general aviation. Spirit provides the environment and physical assets necessary to meet and maintain world-class aviation support services, specifically designed to meet your needs.
The "down home" Midwest hospitality, along with the first class professional facilities and personnel, sets Spirit apart from services normally associated with a busy complex aviation facility. Five full-service Phillips Aviation Performance Centers (APCs) and over 150 businesses located at the airport can address your every need.
A 7500 foot all weather runway, 5000 foot parallel runway, precision approaches, FAA Control Tower, a regional FAA Flight Service Center and 24-hour Customs Services makes Spirit the "right choice" when choosing an airport in St. Louis.
Spirit is home to over 500 aircraft from single-engine to multi-engine jets. The uses of these aircraft are as varied as their types including training, corporate, charter, and air medical.
Location: The Spirit of St. Louis Airport is conveniently and strategically located in the heart of the St. Louis area's westward expansion and growth. Minutes from downtown St. Louis and the rapidly expanding Clayton secondary business district, Spirit provides rapid access to the business and financial corridors of the metropolitan St. Louis area. Major hotels, restaurants, premium golf courses and recreational facilities are all easily accessible, another attraction in the lengthy list of benefits. Spirit's speedy ground access to Lambert International Airport provides for easy airline connections should you require them, yet Spirit is far enough to avoid the crowded and hectic air carrier flight traffic.
Facts: Spirit of St. Louis Airport has been St. Louis' premier general aviation airport since 1964 and it has been the second busiest airport in the FAA Central Region (Missouri, Arkansas, Iowa and Kansas). Spirit is a prime reliever for Lambert Airport and works in conjunction with them to avoid flight delays. Spirit Airport is owned and operated by the St. Louis County Government. Funding for Spirit comes from the airport's users, not general revenue tax dollars. Many St. Louis corporations base their aircraft at Spirit because of its close proximity to their homes in the Chesterfield/West County area. In addition, Spirit is a convenient destination for transient aircraft that which to avoid the heavy traffic of Lambert Airport, but still desire the convenience of a close proximity to St. Louis. Spirit is the Business Aviation Center for the Midwest.