My Buddy Mike found the Gateway Arch, the Mississippi River, and the St. Louis skyline. We arrived at Malcolm W. Martin Memorial Park in East St. Louis, Illinois, on a cloudy day, exploring Route 66. This serene park—nicknamed “the park with a view”—offers sweeping, unobstructed panoramas that are as memorable as the city’s most famous monument itself.
The park honors Malcolm W. Martin (1912–2004), a St. Louis native, visionary civic leader, and tireless advocate for expanding the historic Gateway Arch National Park across both banks of the Mississippi River. Long fascinated by the unfinished elements of architect Eero Saarinen’s original design—specifically the idea that the park should include space on the Illinois side—Martin founded the Gateway Center of Metropolitan St. Louis in 1968. His mission: to protect and develop land directly facing the Arch.
Though Martin didn’t live to see the park completed, his leadership and generous gifts helped make it a reality. In 2005, ownership of more than 30 acres of land and the iconic Gateway Geyser was transferred to the Metro East Park and Recreation District (MEPRD), and in 2009 Malcolm W. Martin Memorial Park officially opened to the public.
The park’s crown jewel is the Mississippi River Overlook, a tiered viewing platform that rises more than 40 feet. The structure invites visitors to climb up and take in unprecedented views of the Gateway Arch, the winding river below, and the dynamic St. Louis skyline. It’s truly one of the best angles in the region for photography and quiet reflection.
Thanks for stopping
