--- title: "The president is forbidden from going to the top of a major US monument" description: "In 1967, Dwight D. Eisenhower ascended to the top of the St. Louis Arch. It wasn't a planned monument trip, but the former President decided to go visit anyway." date: "2022-09-28" modified: "2022-09-29" authors: - name: "Blake Stilwell" job_title: "Editor-In-Chief, Air Force Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/blake/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/popular/us-presidents-st-louis-arch/" categories: - "History" --- # The president is forbidden from going to the top of a major US monument ![The Gateway Arch, a large stainless steel monument with a curved arch shape, stands prominently in front of a city skyline with various modern buildings. The scene includes a river in the foreground and a clear blue sky above.]() *The Gateway Arch, part of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial in St. Louis, Missouri. (Wikimedia Commons)* In 1967, a 77-year-old [Dwight D. Eisenhower]() ascended to the top of the famed [St. Louis Arch](), the gateway to the West. It wasn't a planned trip, but the former president decided to go visit it anyway. And he wanted to go to the top, something the Secret Service forbids presidents, past and present, to do. But Ike was the one who signed off on the construction of the Arch in 1954 and besides – who was going to tell the Supreme Allied Commander "no?" --- ![A formal portrait of an older man with a bald head and light skin, wearing a brown suit jacket, white dress shirt, and a dark tie with small colored patterns. The background is plain and gray.]() *February 1959 White House portrait of Dwight Eisenhower. (Wikipedia Commons)* In case you were wondering about the answer to that question, it's "no one." But he was the only one and even Eisenhower, a former president by the time he ascended to the highest peak of the 630-foot archway, had to do some sneaky work to be able to get to the top over the objections of his contingent of bodyguards. Eisenhower's visit to the Gateway Arch came after hours, so there were no other tourists around, and it wasn't a scheduled part of his itinerary, so potential assassins wouldn't ever have known he would be there. He took the famed tramway up the arch over the objections of the Secret Service. While Ike isn't the only president to overrule the objections of the those who protect him, he's the only one who forced his way up the St. Louis Arch. By the time he came to visit the city on the Mississippi River, two more presidents had occupied the Oval Office after his tenure. It was a pretty safe bet. ![]() *The view inside the top of the arch.* Getting to the top is actually a pretty cleverly designed tram that is part elevator and part Ferris wheel. But the top of the arch is a very small, cramped space that doesn't make for a lot of room to maneuver or for a lot of people to spend any significant amount of time. It also keeps people relatively close together, which is a problem for a protective unit trying to keep people out of arms reach of the world's most powerful person. Despite the cramped space, some 160 people can fit in the top of the arch, and a complete trip to the top takes about 45 minutes on average. That's a lot of time, space, and opportunity to give a would-be threat. But in reality, the leader of the Free World is actually the one in charge, and they can do whatever they want, but the USSS really doesn't want the president up in the Arch. ## Author Blake Stilwell is We Are The Mighty's Editor-in-Chief, covering military news, entertainment, and history, along with veteran education, employment and entrepreneurship. He is a former U.S. Air Force combat cameraman with degrees in Graphic Design, Television and Film, International Relations, Public Relations, Business Management and Middle Eastern Affairs. After leaving the military, he began working in film and television production in New York and Los Angeles, work that included ABC News, NBC Olympics, and HBO Sports. He then spent two years in Washington with White House Communications, before joining the Near East Foundation. At NEF he served as an International Development Fellow, then Communications Officer, and finally, Media Officer for the Middle East and Africa. Based in the Palestinian Territory, he coordinated strategic communications between eight country offices, international media, and government and NGO partners. He began a career focused on writing and editing in 2015 with We Are The Mighty. He left in 2019 for Military.com, but returned as Editor-in-Chief in 2025. Blake’s work has been seen on CBS News, Fox News, CBC, The Chicago Tribune, Task & Purpose, Military Times, Recoil, Skillset, American History, and was shockingly even used in a Supreme Court argument. He is an avid traveler and small business owner in Ohio, where he spends most of his energy fixing up a very old house. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Twitter]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()