From across a river, a large arch is to the left of a group of tall buildings.
St. Louis skyline, seen from across the Mississippi River.
One Metropolitan Square, pictured at night, designed by the architects Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum.

The skyline of St. Louis is home to some of the most architecturally significant buildings in the United States. From its eye catching Gateway Arch, from its beautiful granite facade, copper roofed One Metropolitan Square. The St. Louis skyline is unique because of its architecture, but also the fact that St. Louis has some of the most historical buildings in the country. Located in its skylines heart of downtown, such as the historical Wainwright Building which is one of the United States first skyscraper’s built, designed by famed architect Louis Sullivan. Another prominent St. Louis famed building is its beautiful Old Courthouse where the Dred Scott case took place. Some of its other tallest buildings include 909 Chestnut Street, and the second tallest courthouse in the world, the Thomas F. Eagleton United States Courthouse.[1][Note 1]

History

The history of skyscrapers in St. Louis began with the 1850s construction of Barnum's City Hotel, a six-story building designed by architect George I. Barnett.[2] Until the 1890s, no building in St. Louis rose over eight stories, but construction in the city rose during that decade owing to the development of elevators and the use of steel frames.[3] The first building to use a steel frame in St. Louis was the 1890-91 Wainwright Building, a 10-story office building that was one of the first modern skyscrapers. Designed by Louis Sullivan and Dankmar Adler, it illustrates Sullivan's principle of "form follows function".[4] From 1864–1894, the tallest building in St. Louis was the Old Courthouse, at a height of 192 feet (59 m).[5][6] Throughout the 1890s and into the 1900s, St. Louis saw construction move westward, especially that of office buildings. In 1914, the Railway Exchange Building was completed, which became the city's tallest building for many years.[3] The city then underwent a moderate building boom in the 1920s leading to the planning of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial in 1935.[3]

Four of the top 30 towers have been added in the 21st century; the most recent is the Tower at OPOP, a 25-story, 300-foot (91 m) tower completed in 2014 for $70 million.[7][8][9]

Tallest buildings

A large arch is in the center, across from a river. A clump of tall buildings is scattered behind it.
A panoramic view of the St. Louis skyline, from the far north side.

This list ranks St. Louis skyscrapers that stand at least 250 feet (76 m) tall, based on standard height measurement. This includes spires and architectural details but does not include antenna masts. An equal sign (=) following a rank indicates the same height between two or more buildings. The "Year" column indicates the year in which a building was completed. The "Floors" column indicates floors above ground only.

The Gateway Arch, included here for comparison, is not actually a building (according to the generally-accepted criteria of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, because less 49% of its height is made up of floor plates containing habitable floor area), but rather a tower or structure.

A very tall building looking up from ground level.
One Metropolitan Square is the tallest habitable building in St. Louis and second tallest in Missouri, by only 31 feet.
A tall, domed tower sticks out from a smaller plaza.
The Thomas F. Eagleton United States Courthouse is the second tallest court building in the world and the third tallest building in St. Louis.
A tall, thin building with small windows is nestled between two other buildings.
909 Chestnut street tower is the second tallest building in St. Louis.
A glassy black tower stands beyond some small trees.
Bank of America Plaza is the tenth-tallest building in St. Louis.
Rank Name Height
feet / m 		Floors Year Notes
- Gateway Arch 630 / 192 2 1967 Not defined as a building; shown here for reference. Tallest monument and memorial in the United States.[1][10][11]
1 One Metropolitan Square 593 / 181 42 1989 Tallest habitable building in St. Louis and second tallest habitable building in Missouri.[Note 1] Tallest building in St. Louis built in the 1980s.[12][13]
2 909 Chestnut Street 588 / 179 44 1986 Formerly One SBC Center, tallest building in St. Louis until the construction of One Metropolitan Square.[14][15]
3 Thomas F. Eagleton United States Courthouse 557 / 170 28 2000 Second tallest judicial building in the world, tallest building built in St. Louis in the 2000s.[16][17]
4 One US Bank Plaza 484 / 148 35 1976 Tallest building in St. Louis until the construction of One AT&T Center in 1986.[18][19]
5 Laclede Gas Building 401 / 122 31 1969 Tallest building in St. Louis until the construction of One US Bank Plaza in 1976.[20][21]
6 Southwestern Bell Building 399 / 122 28 1926 Tallest building in St. Louis until the construction of the Laclede Gas Building.[22][23]
7 Civil Courts Building 386 / 118 13 1929 [24][25]
8 One Hundred 385 / 117 36 2020 Tallest building in St. Louis outside of downtown.[26][27]
9 Bank of America Plaza 384 / 117 31 1981 [28][29] Originally proposed as one of two
10 One City Center 375 / 114 25 1985 Formerly called St. Louis Centre and was the largest urban shopping mall in the U.S. when it opened.[Note 2][30][31]
11 One Cardinal Way 334 / 102 29 2020 [32] The first tower to be built as a part of the Ballpark Village Masterplan.
12 Park East Tower 330 / 101 26 2007 [33][34] The tallest residential building in the city when completed.
13 Queeny Tower 321 / 98 19 1965 [35][36] Slated for demolition with $1 billion plans in place to build a new wing.
14 Tower at OPOP 312 / 95 25 2010 Formerly the Roberts Tower.[37][38]
15 Park Plaza 310 / 94 27 1931 Tallest building built in St. Louis during the 1930s.[39][40]
16 Saint Francis de Sales Church 300 / 91 3 1895 Tallest church in St. Louis.[41][42]
17 1010 Market Street KSDK Channel 5 Building 296 / 90 20 1981
18= Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis 289 / 88 24 2007 [43][44]
18= Millennium Hotel St. Louis 289 / 88 28 1968 Formerly Stouffer's Riverfront Towers and the Regal Riverfront Hotel.[45][46]
20 Continental Life Building 286 / 87 22 1930 Tallest building in Midtown St. Louis.[47][48]
21= Mansion House 285 / 87 28 1965 [49][50]
21= Crowne Plaza St. Louis 285 / 87 28 1965 Formerly the Radisson Hotel & Suites St. Louis.[51][52]
21= Gentry's Landing 285 / 87 28 1965 [53][54]
24 500 Broadway 282 / 86 22 1971 [55][56]
25= Council House East 279 / 85 26 1969 [57][58]
25= Equitable Building 279 / 85 21 1971 [59][60]
25= Hilton East Tower 279 / 85 25 1964 [61][62]
28 Railway Exchange Building 277 / 84 22 1914 Tallest building in St. Louis built during the 1910s and world's largest office building in 1914.[63][64][65]
29 Bank of America Tower 275 / 84 22 1976 [66][67]
30 Barnes-Jewish Hospital South 269 / 82 18 1971 Largest hospital in Missouri. Originally 12 stories and 177 feet (54 m) tall, but additional floors were later added to the top of the building.[68][69]
31 Renaissance St. Louis Suites Hotel 268 / 82 24 1925 Formerly the Lennox Hotel.[70][71]
32 Union Pacific Company Building 265 / 81 23 1928 Formerly the Missouri Pacific Building. It was planned to be 35 stories but ended at 23 stories because of the Great Depression.[72][73]
33 KMOV Gateway Tower 261 / 80 21 1967 Also known as the CBS Gateway Tower.[74][75]
34 Dorchester Apartments 260 / 79 23 1963 [76]
35 Saint Louis Place 253 / 77 20 1983 [77][78]
36 Millennium Center 250 / 76 20 1963 [79][80]
37 Desloge Towers 250 / 76 15 1933 [81][82]

Tallest buildings by pinnacle height

A tall building with a triangular frame on the exterior.
One US Bank Plaza is the second tallest building in St. Louis when ranked by pinnacle height.

This list ranks St. Louis skyscrapers based on their pinnacle height, which includes radio masts and antennas. As architectural features and spires can be regarded as subjective, some skyscraper enthusiasts prefer this method of measurement. Standard architectural height measurement, which excludes antennas in building height, is included for comparative purposes.

Rank Name Pinnacle height
feet / m 		Standard height
feet / m 		Notes
-[Note 1] Gateway Arch 630 / 192 630 / 192 [13]
1 One Metropolitan Square 593 / 181 593 / 181 [13]
2 One US Bank Plaza 592 / 180 484 / 148 [19]
3 One AT&T Center 588 / 179 588 / 179 [15]
4 Thomas F. Eagleton United States Courthouse 557 / 170 557 / 170 [17]
5 Southwestern Bell Building 460 / 140 399 / 122 [23]

Tallest under construction, approved, planned, and proposed,

This lists buildings that are under construction, approved, or proposed in St. Louis and are planned to rise over 100 feet (30 m). A floor count of 10 stories is used in place of the 100-foot (30 m) limit if the building's proposed height has not yet been determined.

Name Neighborhood Height*
feet / m 		Floors Year Status Use Notes|-
AHM Mass Timber Tower Downtown West 330-600/ 102~ 29 2026? Proposed Residential 280 unit apartment building at 21st and Locust streets
Albion West End Central West End 335 / 102 30 2024 Planned Residential 293 unit apartment building at 4974 Lindell Blvd
Armory Hotel Midtown 200 / 61 18 TBD Planned Hotel A hotel proposed to be built as part of a second phase of the Armory District
City Foundry Phase 2 Midtown 140? / 43 14 2023 Planned Residential 282-unit apartment building announced as part of the $115 Million Phase 2 development. Will also include 20,000SF of retail space, and a 60,000SF office building


Timeline of tallest buildings

A squarish brown building is at a street corner.
The Railway Exchange Building was St. Louis's tallest building from 1914 to 1926.

This lists buildings that once held the title of tallest building in St. Louis, based on standard height measurement.

Name Street address Years as tallest Height
feet / m 		Floors References
Old Courthouse Between Broadway, Chestnut, Fourth, & Market Streets 1864–1894 192 / 59 2 [5][6]
St. Louis Union Station 1820 Market Street 1894–1914 230 / 70 6 [83][84]
Railway Exchange Building 601–629 Olive Street 1914–1926 277 / 84 21 [85][86]
Southwestern Bell Building 1010 Pine Street 1926–1969 399 / 122 28 [22][23]
Laclede Gas Building 716–726 Olive Street 1969–1976 401 / 122 31 [20][21]
One US Bank Plaza 505 North 7th Street 1976–1986 484 / 148 35 [18][19]
One AT&T Center 909 Chestnut Street 1986–1989 588 / 179 44 [14][15]
One Metropolitan Square 201–227 North Broadway 1989–present 593 / 181 42 [12][13]

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Skyscrapers in St. Louis, Missouri.

Notes

  1. ^ a b c The Gateway Arch is actually the 52nd tallest structure in Missouri (which includes antenna masts, chimneys, etc.). Although it is not habitable, the Arch is included on this list for comparative purposes.
  2. ^ The mall itself has closed, although the building is still used for office space.

References

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External links

Skyscrapers in St. Louis
City of St. Louis
Lists of tallest buildings in the United States
Tallest buildings and structures
Categories