Sault Ste. Marie: Algoma’s Friendliest City! Photo: User:Fugus_Guy / Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY-SA-3.0

The steel arch near the Civic Centre is one of the most visible ways that the City welcomes visitors.

The original Welcome Arch was built in 1938. At the time, this area was the dock for the ferry that transported people between the twin Saults. The Sault Rotary Club sponsored the arch. It was designed by local Rotarian John Arthur Luxton, who also designed the original logo for the Sault Star. Algoma Steel donated the materials.

After the International Bridge was built, the ferry service was discontinued. The arch was dismantled in 1964 and the land around it reclaimed, but the sandstone cairns were left standing. The new Welcome Arch is a replica of the original, and like the original it was created through partnerships between the City, the Rotary Club, Essar Steel, and local architects, engineers, and electricians. The arch now welcomes people to the downtown waterfront, Civic Centre, and the John Rowswell Hub Trail.