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St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
,
Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...
, include the
Gateway Arch The Gateway Arch is a monument in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Clad in stainless steel and built in the form of a weighted catenary arch, it is the world's tallest arch and Missouri's tallest accessible building. Some sources consider ...
, which is also the tallest accessible structure in Missouri and the tallest monument in a national park, rising higher than the
Washington Monument The Washington Monument is an obelisk shaped building within the National Mall in Washington, D.C., built to commemorate George Washington, once commander-in-chief of the Continental Army (1775–1784) in the American Revolutionary War and ...
.The Gateway Arch is actually th
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.
When using standard height measurement, One Kansas City Place is the second tallest building in Missouri, although it is taller than even the Gateway Arch when its antenna is included. The tallest habitable building in the city is the 42-
story Story or stories may refer to: Common uses * Story, a narrative (an account of imaginary or real people and events) ** Short story, a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting * Story (American English), or storey (British ...
One Metropolitan Square One Metropolitan Square, also known as Met Square, is an office skyscraper completed in 1989, located in downtown St. Louis, Missouri. At , it is the tallest building in the city, and second tallest building in Missouri behind the One Kansas City ...
, completed in 1989. At , it is the third tallest building in Missouri and the second tallest habitable building. The only other habitable buildings in St. Louis over are the One AT&T Center and the
Thomas F. Eagleton United States Courthouse The Thomas F. Eagleton United States Courthouse is the largest single courthouse in the United States. It is the main office of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri and the United States Court of Appeals for the Ei ...
.


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. 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
elevator An elevator or lift is a cable-assisted, hydraulic cylinder-assisted, or roller-track assisted machine that vertically transports people or freight between floors, levels, or decks of a building, vessel, or other structure. They ...
s and the use of steel frames. The first building to use a steel frame in St. Louis was the 1890-91
Wainwright Building The Wainwright Building (also known as the Wainwright State Office Building) is a 10-story, terra cotta office building at 709 Chestnut Street in downtown St. Louis, Missouri. The Wainwright Building is considered to be one of the first aesthetic ...
, a 10-story office building that was one of the first modern skyscrapers. Designed by
Louis Sullivan Louis Henry Sullivan (September 3, 1856 – April 14, 1924) was an American architect, and has been called a "father of skyscrapers" and "father of modernism". He was an influential architect of the Chicago School, a mentor to Frank Lloy ...
and
Dankmar Adler Dankmar Adler (July 3, 1844 – April 16, 1900) was a German-born American architect and civil engineer. He is best known for his fifteen-year partnership with Louis Sullivan, during which they designed influential skyscrapers that boldly addr ...
, it illustrates Sullivan's principle of "
form follows function Form follows function is a principle of design associated with late 19th and early 20th century architecture and industrial design in general, which states that the shape of a building or object should primarily relate to its intended function ...
". From 1864–1894, the tallest building in St. Louis was the Old Courthouse, at a height of . 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. The city then underwent a moderate building boom in the 1920s leading to the planning of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial in 1935. Four of the top 30 towers have been added in the 21st century; the most recent is the Tower at OPOP, a 25-story, tower completed in 2014 for $70 million.


Tallest buildings

This list ranks St. Louis skyscrapers that stand at least 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.


Tallest buildings 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.


Tallest under construction, approved, and proposed

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


Timeline of tallest buildings

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


See also

*
List of tallest buildings in Missouri The tallest structures in the U.S. state of Missouri include a broadcasting tower, an chimney, a monument, and a office building. Missouri's tallest accessible buildings Missouri's tallest structures Missouri's tallest chimneys Histor ...
*
List of tallest buildings in the United States The world's first skyscraper was built in Chicago in 1885. Since then, the United States has been home to some of the world's tallest skyscrapers. New York City, specifically the borough of Manhattan, notably has the tallest skyline in the cou ...


Notes


References


External links


St. Louis skyscrapers at Emporis.comSt. Louis skyscrapers at SkyscraperPage.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tallest buildings in St. Louis
St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
* Tallest in St. Louis St. Louis-related lists