The fourth episode of Percy Jackson and the Olympians is now available to watch. If you've already watched this episode, you may have seen an important structure that was not featured in the movies: the St. Louis Arch from Percy Jackson.
In this article, we'll be talking about the St. Louis Arch (also known as the Gateway Arch) and its importance in the TV series.
Is the Percy Jackson St. Louis Arch a Real Structure?
Yes, the St. Louis Arch featured in the Percy Jackson show is a real structure and is also considered a national monument in Missouri. Also called the Gateway Arch, it stands at 630 feet.
The arch has been a tourist attraction for over 40 years. It was created by architect Eero Saarinen as a commemoration of Thomas Jefferson and the role of St. Louis in the westward expansion of the country.
What is the Significance of the St. Louis Arch in the Books?
The St. Louis Arch holds an important role in the source material of Percy Jackson. But in the Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief movie franchise, the Arch was not present.
The reason why this Arch is important in the books is because this is where Percy realizes his power's full potential.
On their way to the Underworld, Annabeth tells Percy that she wants to see some sights. They decide to visit the St. Louis Arch. To get to the top, they have to ride an elevator. But since there wasn't enough room for the three heroes, Percy decided to ride in the other elevator.
One of the passengers of the elevator is a big woman carrying a yappy dog. Before Percy can realize it, the woman turns into a monster who tries to kill him.
After trying to spit acid at Percy, the monster burns the floor of the Arch. The monster then tells him that if he was truly the son of Poseidon, he could jump into the water and survive it.
While fighting against the monster, Percy jumps from the top of the Arch to the Mississippi River, which is a distance of around 630 feet. In doing so, he was able to discover his true potential.
Did They Really Shoot at the St. Louis Arch?
Most of the scenes of Percy Jackson and the Olympians were filmed in Vancouver. The fight between Percy and the Chimera that happened on top of the St. Louis Arch took place on a set that was specifically built for the scene.
But as part of his stunt, Walker Scobell really did fall (with safety measures) from a great height. Executive producer Dan Shotz explained to TV Insider:
“We built that entire structure that was inside [the arch] and then where [Percy] was falling out of it, we had to build that structure, I think, like seven or eight feet above the ground — even more than that, I think. It was probably 10 or 12 feet above the ground so that we could do that stunt where he descends from it, and Walker did it all himself.”
Scobell also spent hours in underwater training to make the scene as believable as possible.
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