Need an aerial view of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers? Enter the 50, 100 and 150 ft observation decks of the Lewis and Clark Confluence Tower … pretty cool. I’d recommend visiting on a warm day, though. It’s a bit windy 150 feet up in the air. Who’d have thunk it?
Dr. Evil: “I’m gonna’ get you, Austin Powers! It’s friggin’ freezing in here, Mr. Bigglesworth!”
Mr. Bigglesworth: “Meeeeeewwwwwwww…”
– Mike Myers – Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
About this image: digital photograph, lightly modified
Refrigerator Magnate 
I’d never heard of Confluence Tower before. It seems like a really unusual structure — a lot of tower for a relatively small amount of usable viewing space.
I hadn’t either, Laura! Annabelle came up with the info at some point… from somewhere. I think she might have driven past it before? Anyway, it’s a pretty unique structure, I think!
🙂
Too high for me
I’m not big on heights, either, N.M… it wasn’t as bad as you might think, though… (the railings / guard rails went WAY up, and the tower on either side made things seem a bit more ‘enclosed’, too.
🙂
Idly wonders how much office space would go for in the elevator shaft.
Red.
Hahaha…
I would guess rent might vary quite a bit… depending on if the elevator is in use or not.
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Wow. I mean..just –WOW!
You can even see St. Louis from up there (and it’s 19 miles away)!
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Very cool! My fear of heights would prevent me from getting to the top – but I am certain my husband and two boys would love it. (We are Lewis & Clark geeks). Great shot, SIG!
The good news is that you get to take an elevator up (and back down again)… so that helps a bit… I think. Even though the guard rails go up very high it still made me a bit nervous to get to close to them…
🙂
Where is the picture from the top?
Hahaha… right next to the one of me passed out cold!
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FABBBBULOUS photo, Inky!! Love the perspective.
Thank you so very much, Dishy!
I tried a few different angles, but this one was my favorite.
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wow that looks really cool. i’d love to see that someday.
It’s interesting, U.M…
wish it would have been a bit warmer that day, though!
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Great POV. Nice work spilledinkguy!
Thank you very much, Eden!
I took quite a few different shots, but this one seemed to work the best… I think.
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What a cool tower. I would like to know the detail because I’m an architecture
engineer
That’s very cool, sir… I didn’t know that! I used to work for an architectural firm! 🙂
Here are a few random facts I found from the towers website:
64 piers/pilings support the Tower, averaging 65′ to 85′ in depth to bedrock.
20,599 cubic yards of concrete were used to build the towers, or approximately 3,433 concrete truck loads.
Approximately 17 miles of reinforcing bars can be found in the foundation and structure.
On a clear day, visitors can see downtown St. Louis and the Gateway Arch, which is 19 miles south of the Tower.
I’ve never knew of that tower till now…Look very high up there. I don’t know if I could breath up there.
I love the things you find to take shots of, Bob!….You always rise my interests.
Hugs, xx
It does look very high, doesn’t it?! There’s quite a view from up there!
That is very kind of you, Deb, thank you! A lot of credit for subject matter like this goes to Annabelle (because without her encouragement I might never leave the apartment)!
🙂
It usually takes a good woman to get the man to leave his domain…Way to go Annabelle! 🙂
Hugs, xx
Indeed, Deb!
She’s a miracle worker!
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Aww… 🙂
😉
Wow, so they really built that solely for feeling “the same EXCITEMENT of Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark as they began their westward voyage”? I like tourist stuff for tourist stuff’s sake.
I’m pretty mad at you for not showing a picture of what you saw from up there, but I guess I appreciate your not-giving-me-what-I-want-ness.
Hahaha… well, either that, or to ensure they used up all the ‘touristy stuff’ budget that year, I guess!
The shots I took up there were even more lackluster than usual (maybe it was the cold… or lack of oxygen… or… something). Anyway, the car looked pretty tiny from up there. I can tell you that much.
🙂
That’s a cool tower! I hope it has an elevator!
Someone needs to clean under those decks. Not me though.
It seems to be parting the clouds. Very cool.
Absolutely!
If it weren’t for the power-assist, I’d probably STILL be climbing!
Thank you very much, sir!
🙂
When I see such things, my fear of hight is waking up 😉 But it’s really interesting building. And if you could go out to admire the view, so would I 🙂
Absolutely, Ms. B!
I am not very good with heights, either, but for the most part it didn’t feel too bad… I know that you could do it, too!
🙂
This is one of those things I think is absolutely beautiful… from the ground 🙂
Hahaha… I hear you, Ms. N!
It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, though.
Part of that might have been the weather … the cold took my mind off our relative position above terra firma (for a while, anyway)!
🙂
I’m afraid of heights. I’m always afraid somebody is going to push me off of that I will sneeze and accidentally trip over the side.
Or get dizzy and fall off… or the wind will do the job…
I hear you, Mel!
Those railings go WAY up though… you would literally have to climb up and over them to fall off (I still felt a bit queasy about approaching them, though).
🙂
It sure would be a great view from the top. Up, up & away!!!
Absolutely!
I knew just looking up at this thing it would be impressive, but getting up there was even wilder than I would have imagined!
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very cool!
Thank you so much for stopping by, Eva!
That was very kind of you!
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A wonderful confluence of photographic skill and physical courage. Here I vertigo again. 🙂
HA! Wasn’t that a Whitesnake song?
Thank you so much!
🙂
What an interesting building! Great shot of it, thanks for sharing 🙂
I thought so, too, Mr. H…
structures like this never fail to amaze me… just from a construction stand-point, even!
Thank you very much, sir!
🙂
This is the first time I’ve heard of, or seen the confluence Tower. Pretty amazing considering the heights you mentioned.
your interesting viewpoint and shot make me want to visit.
Good work SIG, as always!
I hadn’t heard of it before this visit, either…
it was pretty cool, though (although to tell you the truth I was a bit more impressed by the structure than the view – but I’m pretty sure that’s just me…)
🙂
One amazing creation of man great photo my friend 🙂
It’s some very impressive engineering, isn’t it?!
Thank you so much, Jake – you are always very kind!
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Cool composition and perspective, Robert. Gorgeous colours.
Thank you so much, S.E.!
I was fairly happy with the colors… for some reason this reminds me a bit of photos I’ve seen of that luxury hotel in Dubai (maybe that influenced my pumping up the warm-tones so much)…
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I don’t see no diving board?
CANNONBALL!
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COOL and BREEZY! Thanks, Bob!
Hahaha… why, thank you, Nancy!
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Great perspective! It looks absolutely ginormous!!
Thanks, J.G.!
Absolutely! It’s pretty hard to miss this thing!
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Wow. I’d like to think I could see the view from the top without passing out! Great shot, thanks for sharing.
It was pretty high-up there, but surprisingly not quite as bad as I thought it might be! I think the two towers really help give a sense of ‘enclosure’. Well, that and the giant guard rails!
🙂
Grab your sweater…
It’s a bit nipply out…haha..nippy!- chevy chase- Christmas Vacation
Sandi
http://www.ahhsome.wordpress.com
lake Forest, cA
Ha!
Every time I think of Chevy Chase I automatically go to ‘Caddyshack’
(one of my all-time favorites)!
‘Don’t be obsessed with your desires Danny. The Zen philosopher Basha once wrote, ‘A flute with no holes, is not a flute. A donut with no hole, is a Danish.’ He was a funny guy.’
🙂
Nice perspective and framing on that shot.
I’d never heard of that tower, either. I suspect they wouldn’t take kindly to my launching a rocket or two from the upper deck.
Thanks so much, sir
(I had to lean up against a flagpole but despite a few odd looks it seemed to help out a bit)!
Hahaha… yeah, all rockets are probably restricted to the second level and below…
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Hi Inky…a great shot! But I’ll stay on the ground, thank you 😀
Thank you very much, Mary!
I don’t blame you! It never hurts to stay properly grounded!
🙂
The view was pretty cool… but yeah, a warmer day might have been a better plan!
Speaking of that…
is it spring yet, Annabelle?!
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talk about getting high.
HA!
I’m just glad the crash was gradual!
🙂
Dig the pictures around town.
Thanks, MJ!
I really should get out more… there’s a ton of great stuff to shoot around STL!
🙂
Love the perspective on this. Great catch. 🙂
Thank you, Katie!
I probably looked pretty silly leaning up against a flagpole to take this, but I think it turned out okay!
🙂
I used to feel quite self conscious when aware that people were giving me strange looks as I was taking photos but I’m really happy to report that I don’t even notice them anymore, even when I’m contorted into strange positions. I even caught someone photographing me as I was trying (unsucessfully) to capture my feet splashing in a puddle and I merely laughed as he dashed off smiling,
I used to feel quite self conscious when aware that people were giving me strange looks as I was taking photos but I’m really happy to report that I don’t even notice them anymore, even when I’m contorted into strange positions. I even caught someone photographing me as I was trying (unsucessfully) to capture my feet splashing in a puddle and I merely laughed as he dashed off smiling.
I still tend to feel a bit self conscious about it…
luckily most of the stuff I take tends to be in fairly isolated places / situations, so there are fewer people witnessing me rolling about on the floor / ground. Well, luckily and NOT luckily, I guess… if there were more people around that might mean some street stuff, which I love… so… there is a trade-off there, I guess.
🙂
very nice point of view!
Thank you so much, Mr. J!
And thank you for stopping by as well! I really do appreciate that!
🙂
what a great perspective – and thanks for the story.
never heard of this place.
wonder what lewis & clarke would think 🙂
maybe they wouldn’t care.
on the other hand, i wonder what lewis & clark (without the e) would thinkl 🙂
Hahaha… a very good question, P&K!
This location seems like it would be one for ye-ole-explorer log-book for sure!
🙂
Thank you very much, P&K!
To tell you the truth, I hadn’t heard of it, either, and I only live about 20-30 miles or so away from it… I’ve probably even gone by it a few times (how’s that for my incredible powers of observation)?!
🙂
I would love to go up in that building and see for myself! Fantastic. I did know it existed. Thanks for sharing.
Absolutely, Ms. F!
I think you’d like it… it seemed pretty unique/unusual/interesting to me, anyway!
🙂
It has all been stated already but, I like the way you composed this! Great angles to add interest.
Thanks so much, M.P.!
The tower did all the heavy-lifting for me…
which is nice. Because I’m kinda lazy like that.
🙂
like that a lot… looks very cool!
Thanks, Nigel!
It was a pretty interesting place to visit… wish it would have been summertime, though.
Of course, I pretty much ALWAYS wish for that!
🙂
Except… that would mean I would have to get over my massive distrust of heights!!
I hear you, Mr. B!
Believe it or not it’s not as bad as you’d think…
I’m not even a fan of short ladders, but this didn’t bother me nearly as much as I’d expected (until I got right up to the guard rails, anyway).
🙂
It must be exciting when standing on the top floor of the tower! 😀
It’s incredible how small everything below looks! I know you always hear that sort of thing, but it really is true!
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Love the colours here, and the effect of the perspective.
Thanks so much, J.P.! This was a great excuse to play around with sky colors… always a good time!
🙂
I’m kind of weirded out by how many times I’ve been to St. Louis yet I’ve still never even heard of that! Also, I really want to re-watch Austin Powers.
I’m even more weireded out, because I only live 30 miles away from this thing (give or take), and I had NO idea! I should probably get out more. But that would make it difficult to watch more Austin Powers!
🙂
I’d never get my husband to climb to the top of that. Not even if I dangled a million dollars in front of him. He’s petrified of heights, so we’ll enjoy the tower from your point of view. Great shot, Sig!
You never know, YAW… I’m not good with heights, either, but I’d much sooner go up there than climb a 6 ft. step ladder… it’s kind of strange, that way. I think the towers help you feel a bit more ‘enclosed’… and that really seems to help a lot.
🙂
Okay let’s go right to the top on this one SIG 🙂
This is a great photogrph by the way…
Keep it wicked now, you know it;s the best way 😉
Androgoth
Hahaha…
interestingly… they usually stop the elevator on the lowest deck, then the middle, and the highest is saved for the ‘grand finale’, but someone pushed the wrong button and we did go right to the top very first thing!
I’ll do my best, A.G.!
Thank you, sir!
🙂
Let’s hope the water is deep enough in the pool… It can double up as a diving platform. 🙂
Hahaha…
absolutely! Now where did I leave my floaties?!
🙂