List of tallest buildings in St. Louis
Encyclopedia
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
is the 52nd largest city in the United StatesSt. Louis is an independent city
Independent city
An independent city is a city that does not form part of another general-purpose local government entity. These type of cities should not be confused with city-states , which are fully sovereign cities that are not part of any other sovereign state.-Historical precursors:In the Holy Roman Empire,...
, while most other major U.S. cities are part of a county
County (United States)
In the United States, a county is a geographic subdivision of a state , usually assigned some governmental authority. The term "county" is used in 48 of the 50 states; Louisiana is divided into parishes and Alaska into boroughs. Parishes and boroughs are called "county-equivalents" by the U.S...
. and has the 89th most impressive skyline in the world, according to rankings by Emporis
Emporis
Emporis GmbH is a real estate data mining company with headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany. The company collects and publishes data and photographs of buildings worldwide....
. The tallest accessible structure in St. Louis is the 630 feet (192 m) high Gateway Arch
Gateway Arch
The Gateway Arch, or Gateway to the West, is an arch that is the centerpiece of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial in St. Louis, Missouri. It was built as a monument to the westward expansion of the United States...
, which was completed on October 28, 1965. It also stands as the tallest monument in the U.S., rising 75 feet (22.9 m) higher than the Washington Monument
Washington Monument
The Washington Monument is an obelisk near the west end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., built to commemorate the first U.S. president, General George Washington...
, and is the tallest accessible structure in Missouri.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.When using standard height measurement, One Kansas City Place
One Kansas City Place
One Kansas City Place is the tallest building located in downtown Kansas City, Missouri, bounded by 12th Street to the north, Baltimore Avenue to the west, and Main Street to the east...
is the second-tallest building in Missouri, although it is taller than even the Gateway Arch when its antenna is included in the measurement. The tallest habitable building in the city is the 42-story
Storey
A storey or story is any level part of a building that could be used by people...
One Metropolitan Square
One Metropolitan Square
One Metropolitan Square, also known as Met Square, or Met 1, is a skyscraper completed in 1989 in downtown St. Louis, Missouri. At , it is the tallest building in the city, and second tallest building in Missouri behind One Kansas City Place in Kansas City...
, at a height of 593 feet (180.7 m), which was completed in 1989. It was designed by architecture firm Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum (HOK), which is also headquartered in the building. It is the second-highest building in Missouri and the tallest habitable building. HOK has also designed several other skyscrapers in St. Louis, including One AT&T Center
AT&T Center (St. Louis)
One AT&T Center is a 44-story building in downtown St. Louis, Missouri on Chestnut Street on the Gateway Mall. It is Missouri's largest building by area with . It is located...
and the Thomas F. Eagleton United States Courthouse. As a result, the only three habitable buildings in St. Louis over 500 feet (152.4 m) tall have been designed by HOK. However, no buildings in Missouri are over 700 feet (213.4 m) and are therefore not among the tallest buildings in the United States.
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
George I. Barnett
George Ingham Barnett was an architect from St. Louis, Missouri. He was called The Dean of St. Louis Architecture for his contributions to the buildings of St. Louis as well as for his influence on other architects in the United States....
. Until the 1890s, no building in St. Louis rose over eight stories, but construction in the city rose during that decade, due to the development of elevator
Elevator
An elevator is a type of vertical transport equipment that efficiently moves people or goods between floors of a building, vessel or other structures...
s and the use of steel frames. The first building to use a steel frame in St. Louis was the Wainwright Building
Wainwright Building
The Wainwright Building is a 10-story red brick office building at 709 Chestnut Street in downtown St. Louis, Missouri. The Wainwright Building is among the first skyscrapers in the world. It was designed by Dankmar Adler and Louis Sullivan in the Palazzo style and built between 1890 and 1891...
, a 10-story office building and one of the first modern skyscrapers. The building, which was designed by Louis Sullivan
Louis Sullivan
Louis Henri Sullivan was an American architect, and has been called the "father of skyscrapers" and "father of modernism" He is considered by many as the creator of the modern skyscraper, was an influential architect and critic of the Chicago School, was a mentor to Frank Lloyd Wright, and an...
and Dankmar Adler
Dankmar Adler
Dankmar Adler was a celebrated German-born American architect.-Early years:...
, illustrates Sullivan's principle of "form follows function
Form follows function
Form follows function is a principle associated with modern architecture and industrial design in the 20th century. The principle is that the shape of a building or object should be primarily based upon its intended function or purpose....
". From 1864–1894, the tallest building in St. Louis was the Old Courthouse, at a height of 192 feet (58.5 m). Throughout the 1890s and into the 1900s, St. Louis saw construction move westward, especially that of office buildings. In 1914, the Railway Exchange Building
Railway Exchange Building (St. Louis)
The Railway Exchange Building is a , 21-story high-rise office building in St. Louis, Missouri connected to the now-defunct One City Center mall. The 1914 steel-frame building is in the Chicago school architectural style, and was designed by architect Mauran, Russell & Crowell...
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
Jefferson National Expansion Memorial
The Jefferson National Expansion Memorial is in St. Louis, Missouri, near the starting point of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. It was designated as a National Memorial by Executive Order 7523, on December 21, 1935, and is maintained by the National Park Service .The park was established to...
in 1935.
Recent development of new St. Louis high-rises has not seen much progress. The planned McGowan Walsh Tower (MW Tower) was put on hold in 2007 as a result of the economic situation at the time. If completed, the building would be the tallest building in both St. Louis and Missouri, at a height of over 1000 feet (304.8 m) and 90 stories. The Renaissance on Euclid, a planned 30-floor, $115 million condominium
Condominium
A condominium, or condo, is the form of housing tenure and other real property where a specified part of a piece of real estate is individually owned while use of and access to common facilities in the piece such as hallways, heating system, elevators, exterior areas is executed under legal rights...
project was later canceled. The 26-story Lindell Condominiums were also canceled as a result of a court ruling that the construction of high-rise buildings would not be permitted in the Central West End Historic District, where the complex was planned. The condos had already been approved when two residents filed suit to stop the plan. In addition, the proposed Bottle District Residential Towers project were canceled as well. Architect Daniel Libeskind
Daniel Libeskind
Daniel Libeskind, is an American architect, artist, and set designer of Polish-Jewish descent. Libeskind founded Studio Daniel Libeskind in 1989 with his wife, Nina, and is its principal design architect...
designed the three towers of the $290 million proposal, which would have boasted St. Louis's tallest building if it had been completed.That is, before the completion of the proposed MW Tower. Construction for the $70 million, 25-story, 300 feet (91.4 m) Roberts Tower began in 2009. As a result of economic issues, work on the tower stalled in January 2010, although it soon restarted.
Tallest buildings
This list ranks St. Louis skyscrapers that stand at least 250 feet (76.2 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.
| Rank | Name | Height feet / m Metre The metre , symbol m, is the base unit of length in the International System of Units . Originally intended to be one ten-millionth of the distance from the Earth's equator to the North Pole , its definition has been periodically refined to reflect growing knowledge of metrology... |
Floors | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0— | Gateway Arch Gateway Arch The Gateway Arch, or Gateway to the West, is an arch that is the centerpiece of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial in St. Louis, Missouri. It was built as a monument to the westward expansion of the United States... |
630 / 192 | n/a | 1967 | Tallest monument and memorial in the United States. |
| 11 | One Metropolitan Square One Metropolitan Square One Metropolitan Square, also known as Met Square, or Met 1, is a skyscraper completed in 1989 in downtown St. Louis, Missouri. At , it is the tallest building in the city, and second tallest building in Missouri behind One Kansas City Place in Kansas City... |
593 / 181 | 42 | 1989 | Tallest habitable building in St. Louis and tallest habitable building in Missouri. Tallest building in St. Louis built in the 1980s. |
| 22 | One AT&T Center AT&T Center (St. Louis) One AT&T Center is a 44-story building in downtown St. Louis, Missouri on Chestnut Street on the Gateway Mall. It is Missouri's largest building by area with . It is located... |
588 / 179 | 44 | 1986 | Formerly One SBC Center, tallest building in St. Louis until the construction of One Metropolitan Square. |
| 33 | 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. |
| 44 | One US Bank Plaza One US Bank Plaza One US Bank Plaza is a 36-story building in Downtown St. Louis, Missouri. The building is topped by an antenna that raises the total building to . In the 1990s the Ambassador Building next to it was razed and became part of the building's plaza.The building has a Structural Expressionism style... |
484 / 148 | 35 | 1976 | Tallest building in St. Louis until the construction of One AT&T Center in 1986. |
| 55 | Laclede Gas Building Laclede Gas Building The Laclede Gas Building is a 31-story building in Downtown St. Louis, Missouri.An interesting fact about this building is that all power is generated in house using natural gas burning generators.... |
401 / 122 | 31 | 1969 | Tallest building in St. Louis until the construction of One US Bank Plaza in 1976. |
| 66 | Southwestern Bell Building Southwestern Bell Building The Southwestern Bell Building is a 28-story building that was built to be the headquarters of Southwestern Bell Telephone in Downtown St. Louis, Missouri.At the time of its construction it was Missouri's tallest building.... |
399 / 122 | 28 | 1926 | Tallest building in St. Louis until the construction of the Laclede Gas Building. |
| 77 | Civil Courts Building Civil Courts Building The Civil Courts Building is a landmark court building used by the 22nd Judicial Circuit Court of Missouri in St. Louis, Missouri.The building with its pyramid shaped roof is prominently featured in the center of photos of the Gateway Arch from the Illinois side as its location on the Memorial... |
386 / 118 | 13 | 1929 | |
| 88 | Bank of America Plaza Bank of America Plaza (St. Louis) The Bank of America Plaza is an award-winning skyscraper located in Downtown St. Louis, Missouri. Formerly Boatmen's Bancshares of St. Louis and First National Bank, the tower is 384 ft tall and has 31 floors. Built in 1982, it comprises , and has a view of the downtown skyline. It is the fourth... |
384 / 117 | 31 | 1981 | |
| 99 | One City Center One City Center (St. Louis) One City Center is an office tower complex and former shopping mall in St. Louis, Missouri.... |
375 / 114 | 25 | 1985 | Formerly called St. Louis Centre and was the largest urban shopping mall in the U.S. when it opened.The mall itself has closed, although the building is still used for office space. |
| 1010 | Park East Tower | 330 / 101 | 26 | 2007 | Tallest building outside of downtown St. Louis. |
| 1111 | Queeny Tower Queeny Tower Queeny Tower, built in 1965 and named for Monsanto Company founder John Francis Queeny, is a medical facility on the campus of Washington University School of Medicine. At , it is the third tallest medical-related building in the Western Hemisphere, as well as the second tallest building in St.... |
321 / 98 | 19 | 1965 | |
| 1212 | Roberts Tower | 312 / 95 | 25 | 2010 | |
| 1313 | Park Plaza Chase Park Plaza Hotel The Chase Park Plaza, located at 212 N. Kingshighway in the Central West End, St. Louis, Missouri, is a combination of two buildings housing a condominium tower , hotel , cinema, and several restaurants and bars, all constructed between 1920 and 1930.The hotel replaced nearby Buckingham Hotel as... |
310 / 94 | 27 | 1931 | Tallest building built in St. Louis during the 1930s. |
| 1414 | Saint Francis de Sales Church St. Francis de Sales Church (St. Louis, Missouri) St. Francis de Sales Church is a Roman Catholic Oratory located on the South Side of St. Louis, Missouri. It is the second largest church in the Archdiocese of St. Louis after the cathedral-basilica. The church is popularly known as the "Cathedral of South St. Louis."The historic main church was... |
300 / 91 | 3 | 1895 | Tallest church in St. Louis. |
| 1515 | 1010 Market Street | 296 / 90 | 20 | 1981 | Tallest building in St. Louis known only by its street address. |
| 1616= | Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis | 289 / 88 | 24 | 2007 | |
| 1716= | Millennium Hotel St. Louis Millennium Hotel St. Louis The Millennium Hotel St. Louis, more commonly known simply as the Millennium Hotel, is a hotel complex in downtown St. Louis, Missouri. The lower complex consists of a plaza and several recreational facilities. Two towers, Millennium Hotel Tower I and Millennium Hotel Tower II, make up the hotel... |
289 / 88 | 28 | 1968 | Formerly Stouffer's Riverfront Towers and the Regal Riverfront Hotel. |
| 1818 | Continental Life Building | 286 / 87 | 22 | 1930 | Tallest building in Midtown St. Louis Midtown St. Louis Midtown St. Louis is three miles west of the St. Louis, Missouri riverfront at the crossroads of Grand Boulevard and Lindell Boulevard. It includes the campus of Saint Louis University and the Grand Center arts district.-Historic status:... . |
| 1919= | Mansion House | 285 / 87 | 28 | 1965 | |
| 2019= | Crowne Plaza St. Louis | 285 / 87 | 28 | 1965 | Formerly the Radisson Hotel & Suites St. Louis. |
| 2119= | Gentry's Landing | 285 / 87 | 28 | 1965 | |
| 2222 | 500 Broadway | 282 / 86 | 22 | 1971 | |
| 2323= | Council House East | 279 / 85 | 26 | 1969 | |
| 2423= | Equitable Building | 279 / 85 | 21 | 1971 | |
| 2523= | Hilton East Tower | 279 / 85 | 25 | 1964 | |
| 2626 | Railway Exchange Building Railway Exchange Building (St. Louis) The Railway Exchange Building is a , 21-story high-rise office building in St. Louis, Missouri connected to the now-defunct One City Center mall. The 1914 steel-frame building is in the Chicago school architectural style, and was designed by architect Mauran, Russell & Crowell... |
277 / 84 | 22 | 1914 | Tallest building in St. Louis built during the 1910s and world's largest office building in 1914. |
| 2727 | Bank of America Tower | 275 / 84 | 22 | 1976 | |
| 2828 | Barnes-Jewish Hospital South Barnes-Jewish Hospital Barnes-Jewish Hospital is the largest hospital in the U.S. state of Missouri. It is the adult teaching hospital for Washington University School of Medicine, and is located in St. Louis, Missouri. It is consistently rated one of the top hospitals in the United States by U.S. News & World Report... |
269 / 82 | 18 | 1971 | Largest hospital in Missouri. Originally 12 stories and 177 feet (53.9 m) tall, but additional floors were later added to the top of the building. |
| 2929 | Renaissance St. Louis Suites Hotel | 268 / 82 | 24 | 1925 | Formerly the Lennox Hotel, tallest building in St. Louis in 1925. |
| 3030 | 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 Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s... . |
| 3131 | KMOV Gateway Tower | 261 / 80 | 21 | 1967 | Also known as the CBS Gateway Tower. |
| 3232 | Dorchester Apartments | 260 / 79 | 23 | 1963 | |
| 3333 | Saint Louis Place | 253 / 77 | 20 | 1983 | |
| 3434= | Millennium Center | 250 / 76 | 20 | 1963 | |
| 3534= | Desloge Towers | 250 / 76 | 15 | 1933 | |
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.| Rank | Name | Pinnacle height feet / m Metre The metre , symbol m, is the base unit of length in the International System of Units . Originally intended to be one ten-millionth of the distance from the Earth's equator to the North Pole , its definition has been periodically refined to reflect growing knowledge of metrology... |
Standard height feet / m Metre The metre , symbol m, is the base unit of length in the International System of Units . Originally intended to be one ten-millionth of the distance from the Earth's equator to the North Pole , its definition has been periodically refined to reflect growing knowledge of metrology... |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gateway Arch Gateway Arch The Gateway Arch, or Gateway to the West, is an arch that is the centerpiece of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial in St. Louis, Missouri. It was built as a monument to the westward expansion of the United States... |
630 / 192 | 630 / 192 | |
| 2 | One Metropolitan Square One Metropolitan Square One Metropolitan Square, also known as Met Square, or Met 1, is a skyscraper completed in 1989 in downtown St. Louis, Missouri. At , it is the tallest building in the city, and second tallest building in Missouri behind One Kansas City Place in Kansas City... |
593 / 181 | 593 / 181 | |
| 3 | One US Bank Plaza One US Bank Plaza One US Bank Plaza is a 36-story building in Downtown St. Louis, Missouri. The building is topped by an antenna that raises the total building to . In the 1990s the Ambassador Building next to it was razed and became part of the building's plaza.The building has a Structural Expressionism style... |
592 / 180 | 484 / 148 | |
| 4 | One AT&T Center | 588 / 179 | 588 / 179 | |
| 5 | Marquette Building Marquette Building (St. Louis) The Marquette Building, also known as the Boatman's Bank Building, is a historical building in downtown St. Louis.It was completed in 1914 at Broadway and Olive Streets, at 19 stories, designed by the St. Louis architecture partnership of Eames and Young. A 1915 Annex, also designed by Eames and... |
585 / 178 | 241 / 74 | |
| 6 | Thomas F. Eagleton United States Courthouse | 557 / 170 | 557 / 170 | |
| 7 | Southwestern Bell Building Southwestern Bell Building The Southwestern Bell Building is a 28-story building that was built to be the headquarters of Southwestern Bell Telephone in Downtown St. Louis, Missouri.At the time of its construction it was Missouri's tallest building.... |
460 / 140 | 399 / 122 |
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 300 feet (91 m). A floor count of 20 stories is used in place of the 300 feet (91.4 m) limit if the building's proposed height has not yet been determined.| Name | Height* feet / m Metre The metre , symbol m, is the base unit of length in the International System of Units . Originally intended to be one ten-millionth of the distance from the Earth's equator to the North Pole , its definition has been periodically refined to reflect growing knowledge of metrology... |
Floors | Year | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MW Tower | 1,001 / 305 | 90 | Unknown | Proposed | |
| Ballpark Village Tower III St. Louis Ballpark Village St. Louis Ballpark Village is a planned $650 million development in downtown St. Louis, Missouri that will occupy the site of the previous Busch Stadium... |
Unknown | 27 | Unknown | Proposed | |
Timeline of tallest buildings
| Name | Street address | Years as tallest | Height feet / m Metre The metre , symbol m, is the base unit of length in the International System of Units . Originally intended to be one ten-millionth of the distance from the Earth's equator to the North Pole , its definition has been periodically refined to reflect growing knowledge of metrology... |
Floors | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old Courthouse | Between Broadway, Chestnut, Fourth, & Market Streets | 1864–1894 | 192 / 59 | 2 | |
| St. Louis Union Station St. Louis Union Station St. Louis Union Station, a National Historic Landmark, is a passenger train terminal in St. Louis, Missouri. Once the world's largest and busiest train station, it was converted in the early 1980s into a luxury hotel, shopping center, and entertainment complex... |
1,8201820 Market Street | 1894–1914 | 230 / 70 | 6 | |
| Railway Exchange Building Railway Exchange Building (St. Louis) The Railway Exchange Building is a , 21-story high-rise office building in St. Louis, Missouri connected to the now-defunct One City Center mall. The 1914 steel-frame building is in the Chicago school architectural style, and was designed by architect Mauran, Russell & Crowell... |
601601–629 Olive Street | 1914–1926 | 277 / 84 | 21 | |
| Southwestern Bell Building Southwestern Bell Building The Southwestern Bell Building is a 28-story building that was built to be the headquarters of Southwestern Bell Telephone in Downtown St. Louis, Missouri.At the time of its construction it was Missouri's tallest building.... |
108108–116 North 11th Street | 1926–1969 | 399 / 122 | 28 | |
| Laclede Gas Building Laclede Gas Building The Laclede Gas Building is a 31-story building in Downtown St. Louis, Missouri.An interesting fact about this building is that all power is generated in house using natural gas burning generators.... |
716716–726 Olive Street | 1969–1976 | 401 / 122 | 31 | |
| One US Bank Plaza One US Bank Plaza One US Bank Plaza is a 36-story building in Downtown St. Louis, Missouri. The building is topped by an antenna that raises the total building to . In the 1990s the Ambassador Building next to it was razed and became part of the building's plaza.The building has a Structural Expressionism style... |
505505 North 7th Street | 1976–1986 | 484 / 148 | 35 | |
| One AT&T Center | 900900–928 Pine Street | 1986–1989 | 588 / 179 | 44 | |
| One Metropolitan Square One Metropolitan Square One Metropolitan Square, also known as Met Square, or Met 1, is a skyscraper completed in 1989 in downtown St. Louis, Missouri. At , it is the tallest building in the city, and second tallest building in Missouri behind One Kansas City Place in Kansas City... |
201201–227 North Broadway | 1989–present | 593 / 181 | 42 |
See also
- List of tallest buildings in Missouri
- List of tallest buildings in the United States