Luther Ely Smith
Encyclopedia
Luther Ely Smith was a St. Louis, Missouri
lawyer
, civic booster
and is called by the National Park Service
the "father of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial
."
. He attended prep school
at Williston Northampton School
in Easthampton, Massachusetts
graduating in 1890; Amherst College
where he was a classmate of future Chief Justice of the United States
Harlan F. Stone and was a year ahead of Calvin Coolidge
and Dwight W. Morrow. He graduated in 1894 and then received a law degree at Washington University in St. Louis
in 1897.
He volunteered with Third U.S Volunteer Engineers during the Spanish-American War
.
-Masques on Art Hill in Forest Park
. The outdoor pageants morphed into The MUNY
.
He was chairman of the City Plan Commission and hired Harland Bartholomew
as city planner in 1916—making St. Louis the first city to have such a full time position.
In World War I
, he volunteered and served as a captain in the field artillery
.
After the war he worked on establishing the Memorial Plaza—a collection of landmark buildings including the Civil Courts Building
and Kiel Auditorium
.
.
In the 1930s the United States was looking to build a memorial to Thomas Jefferson
(which would eventually become the Jefferson Memorial
in Washington, D.C.
) however Smith said that while riding a train back to St. Louis from a meeting on the Clark memorial, he happened upon the idea that the memorial should be placed on historic property in St. Louis where the expansion to the west occurred but had become a dowdy waterfront.
Smith pitched the idea to Mayor Bernard Dickmann. The two then pitched the idea again to civic leaders. Smith was appointed chairman of the committee to investigate further. The committee became the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Association and was formally chartered in April 1934. He served as its chairman for every year except until 1949 after the selection of the signature Gateway Arch
.
The original plan called for it to be financed by the federal government and city of St. Louis. The proposed project required clearing 40 blocks in the heart of St. Louis and expected to cost $30 million was met with considerable opposition. However, voters on September 10, 1935, approved a $7.5 million bond issue for the project. Franklin Roosevelt signed an executive order on December 21, 1935, authorizing the Department of Interior
to acquire and develop the memorial.
The federal government acquired the property via condemnation
rather than negotiated sales and court cases delayed the process. But the entire 90 acres (364,217.4 m²) site was cleared by May 1942.
Further work was delayed due to World War II
. In 1941 he was chairman of the state organizational committee that created the Missouri Plan
for non-partisan selection of judges.
During the war, Smith was quoted about his vision for the site that there should be "a central figure, a shaft, a building, an arch, or something which would symbolize American culture and civilization."
In 1946 he attempted to raise $225,000 for an architecture contest for the Memorial. He personally invested $40,000 of the amount.
In 1948 he wrote contest winner Eero Saarinen
:
Smith died in 1951 before the arch construction began in 1963.
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, civic booster
Boosterism
Boosterism is the act of "boosting," or promoting, one's town, city, or organization, with the goal of improving public perception of it. Boosting can be as simple as "talking up" the entity at a party or as elaborate as establishing a visitors' bureau. It is somewhat associated with American small...
and is called by the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
the "father of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial
Jefferson National Expansion Memorial
The Jefferson National Expansion Memorial is in St. Louis, Missouri, near the starting point of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. It was designated as a National Memorial by Executive Order 7523, on December 21, 1935, and is maintained by the National Park Service .The park was established to...
."
Early life
Smith was born in Downers Grove, IllinoisDowners Grove, Illinois
Downers Grove is a village in Downers Grove and Lisle Townships, DuPage County, Illinois, United States. The population was 48,724 at the 2000 census, with an official estimated population of 49,250 in 2008.-History:...
. He attended prep school
University-preparatory school
A university-preparatory school or college-preparatory school is a secondary school, usually private, designed to prepare students for a college or university education...
at Williston Northampton School
Williston Northampton School
The Williston Northampton School, or "Williston," is a private co-educational preparatory school for boarding and day students in seventh grade through postgraduate year located in Easthampton, Massachusetts. The campus offers a range of extra-curricular activities in the arts and athletics...
in Easthampton, Massachusetts
Easthampton, Massachusetts
Easthampton is the second largest city in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The town is on the southeastern edge of an area called the Pioneer Valley near the five colleges in the college towns of Northampton and Amherst, MA...
graduating in 1890; Amherst College
Amherst College
Amherst College is a private liberal arts college located in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Amherst is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 1,744 students in the fall of 2009...
where he was a classmate of future Chief Justice of the United States
Chief Justice of the United States
The Chief Justice of the United States is the head of the United States federal court system and the chief judge of the Supreme Court of the United States. The Chief Justice is one of nine Supreme Court justices; the other eight are the Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States...
Harlan F. Stone and was a year ahead of Calvin Coolidge
Calvin Coolidge
John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the 30th President of the United States . A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state...
and Dwight W. Morrow. He graduated in 1894 and then received a law degree at Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis is a private research university located in suburban St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1853, and named for George Washington, the university has students and faculty from all fifty U.S. states and more than 110 nations...
in 1897.
He volunteered with Third U.S Volunteer Engineers during the Spanish-American War
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
.
St. Louis Booster
After the war he started a law practice in St. Louis and became active in various civic functions including in 1914 when he started that pageantProcession
A procession is an organized body of people advancing in a formal or ceremonial manner.-Procession elements:...
-Masques on Art Hill in Forest Park
Forest Park (St. Louis)
Forest Park is a public park located in western part of the city of St. Louis, Missouri. It is a prominent civic center and covers . The park, which opened in 1876 more than a decade after its proposal, has hosted several significant events, including the Louisiana Purchase Exposition of 1904 and...
. The outdoor pageants morphed into The MUNY
The Muny
The Muny, short for The Municipal Theatre Association of St. Louis, is an outdoor musical theatre, located in Forest Park, St. Louis, Missouri...
.
He was chairman of the City Plan Commission and hired Harland Bartholomew
Harland Bartholomew
Harland Bartholomew was an American urban planner. Although a civil engineer by training and disposition, Harland's career started just as the automobile production was about to take off, industrial development was booming and urban populations grew...
as city planner in 1916—making St. Louis the first city to have such a full time position.
In World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, he volunteered and served as a captain in the field artillery
Field artillery
Field artillery is a category of mobile artillery used to support armies in the field. These weapons are specialized for mobility, tactical proficiency, long range, short range and extremely long range target engagement....
.
After the war he worked on establishing the Memorial Plaza—a collection of landmark buildings including the Civil Courts Building
Civil Courts Building
The Civil Courts Building is a landmark court building used by the 22nd Judicial Circuit Court of Missouri in St. Louis, Missouri.The building with its pyramid shaped roof is prominently featured in the center of photos of the Gateway Arch from the Illinois side as its location on the Memorial...
and Kiel Auditorium
Kiel Auditorium
Kiel Auditorium was an indoor arena, in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. It was the home of the Saint Louis University basketball team and hosted the NBA's St. Louis Hawks, from 1955-1968....
.
Jefferson National Expansion Memorial
In the 1920s his Amherst school-mate Coolidge appointed him to a federal commission to build the George Rogers Clark Memorial in Vincennes, IndianaVincennes, Indiana
Vincennes is a city in and the county seat of Knox County, Indiana, United States. It is located on the Wabash River in the southwestern part of the state. The population was 18,701 at the 2000 census...
.
In the 1930s the United States was looking to build a memorial to Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
(which would eventually become the Jefferson Memorial
Jefferson Memorial
The Thomas Jefferson Memorial is a presidential memorial in Washington, D.C. that is dedicated to Thomas Jefferson, an American Founding Father and the third President of the United States....
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
) however Smith said that while riding a train back to St. Louis from a meeting on the Clark memorial, he happened upon the idea that the memorial should be placed on historic property in St. Louis where the expansion to the west occurred but had become a dowdy waterfront.
Smith pitched the idea to Mayor Bernard Dickmann. The two then pitched the idea again to civic leaders. Smith was appointed chairman of the committee to investigate further. The committee became the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Association and was formally chartered in April 1934. He served as its chairman for every year except until 1949 after the selection of the signature Gateway Arch
Gateway Arch
The Gateway Arch, or Gateway to the West, is an arch that is the centerpiece of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial in St. Louis, Missouri. It was built as a monument to the westward expansion of the United States...
.
The original plan called for it to be financed by the federal government and city of St. Louis. The proposed project required clearing 40 blocks in the heart of St. Louis and expected to cost $30 million was met with considerable opposition. However, voters on September 10, 1935, approved a $7.5 million bond issue for the project. Franklin Roosevelt signed an executive order on December 21, 1935, authorizing the Department of Interior
United States Department of the Interior
The United States Department of the Interior is the United States federal executive department of the U.S. government responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land and natural resources, and the administration of programs relating to Native Americans, Alaska Natives, Native...
to acquire and develop the memorial.
The federal government acquired the property via condemnation
Eminent domain
Eminent domain , compulsory purchase , resumption/compulsory acquisition , or expropriation is an action of the state to seize a citizen's private property, expropriate property, or seize a citizen's rights in property with due monetary compensation, but without the owner's consent...
rather than negotiated sales and court cases delayed the process. But the entire 90 acres (364,217.4 m²) site was cleared by May 1942.
Further work was delayed due to World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. In 1941 he was chairman of the state organizational committee that created the Missouri Plan
Missouri Plan
The Missouri Plan is a method for the selection of judges. It originated in Missouri in 1940, and has been adopted by several states of the United States...
for non-partisan selection of judges.
During the war, Smith was quoted about his vision for the site that there should be "a central figure, a shaft, a building, an arch, or something which would symbolize American culture and civilization."
In 1946 he attempted to raise $225,000 for an architecture contest for the Memorial. He personally invested $40,000 of the amount.
In 1948 he wrote contest winner Eero Saarinen
Eero Saarinen
Eero Saarinen was a Finnish American architect and industrial designer of the 20th century famous for varying his style according to the demands of the project: simple, sweeping, arching structural curves or machine-like rationalism.-Biography:Eero Saarinen shared the same birthday as his father,...
:
- It was your design, your marvelous conception, your brilliant forecast into the future, that has made the realization of the dream possible – a dream that you and the wonderful genius at your command and the able assistance of your associates are going to achieve far beyond the remotest possibility that we had dared visualize in the beginning.
Smith died in 1951 before the arch construction began in 1963.