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Patrick Clarke and Liz Dowell
1 hour ago
ST. LOUIS — A group of public servants and National Park Service rangers gathered Thursday afternoon with the Old Courthouse behind them.
“We’re telling stories of freedom fights like Bunker Hill and Valley Forge,” says Jeremy Sweat, superintendent of Gateway Arch National Park.
Now, thanks to investment from the Great American Outdoors Act, the group will continue to tell the stories from the Old Courthouse.
“Today, I am very excited to announce new investments in Gateway Arch National Park through the Great American Outdoors Act,” said U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland. “The new $17 million investment will allow us to move forward with the next phase of the renovation of the Old Courthouse, which will restore the upper floors and exterior of the building.”
The Old Courthouse is currently undergoing its second major renovation since it was completed in 1862. The renovations were jointly funded by the National Park Service and the Gateway Arch Park Foundation.
The National Park Service tells the stories of the people who explored, exploited, and inhabited the American West.
“It was on these steps that our ancestors were sold into slavery,” says St. Louis Mayor Tishaura O. Jones. “This is also where hundreds of enslaved people, most famously Dredd and Harriet Scott, first sued for freedom. This was the building where the doors of justice opened to slaves. .”
Once completed, the Old Courthouse will have improved accessibility and modernized utilities to improve the visitor experience. Funding from the Great American Outdoors Act is part of President Biden’s U.S. infrastructure investment plan.
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