The planning, design and construction of the Gateway Arch was one of the region's most ambitious and arguably finest hours. Although tarnished at times by politics and remaining at the center of debates about appropriate land use, it was at its inception, and remains today, a monument not only to the great westward migration and the shaping of the landscape of modern America but also a testament to the tenacity of public-spirited citizens who made up their minds to do something and did it.