Kiener Plaza

Kiener Plaza is a 1.9-acre public park in downtown St. Louis, just west of the Old Courthouse. Look east across the plaza for the courthouse with the Gateway Arch rising behind it. It is an easy pause for that downtown view, with no hike or special route. The play garden also makes it a useful break for families; if you are short on time and only want the Arch’s main attractions, this is an optional stop.

The plaza has walking paths, an event lawn, a shade garden with tables and chairs, a fountain garden with a splash pad, and a children’s play garden. It works as a place to sit or let kids play between visits. It is an outdoor public space in the middle of downtown, not a quiet garden; paid multi-storey garages are nearby, while the plaza itself is not a food stop.

In spring, flowering cherry trees give you a foreground for the Arch and courthouse. From the plaza, aim east and include the trees or the Runner statue and fountain when they fit your composition. The view is right among the paths, so you do not need to walk far to make the picture.

Kiener Plaza honors Harry J. Kiener, a St. Louis native who competed on the U.S. track team at the 1904 Olympics and later became a steel-company executive and philanthropist. The central Runner statue, also called the Olympic Runner, was made by sculptor William Zorach.

The plaza opened in stages in the 1960s and expanded west in 1986. A 2016–17 reconstruction replaced its sunken amphitheater with open, street-level spaces, a playground, water garden, and lawn. The Runner statue and fountain were moved to the center as part of that redesign.