List of tallest buildings in St. Louis

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 to 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. Many of these historic buildings are in the heart of downtown, including the historical Wainwright Building, designed by famed architect Louis Sullivan, and one of the first skyscrapers built in the United States. ^[1] Another prominent and famous St. Louis building is the 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. ^{[2] [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. ^[3] 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. ^[4] 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". ^[5] From 1864–1894, the tallest building in St. Louis was the Old Courthouse, at a height of 192 feet (59 m). ^{[6] [7]} 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. ^[4] The city then underwent a moderate building boom in the 1920s leading to the planning of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial in 1935. ^[4]

Six of the top-30 tallest skyscrapers have been built in the 21st century; the most recent is One Cardinal Way, a 29-story, 320-foot (98 m) tower topped out in 2019 as part of the expansion of Ballpark Village. ^{[8] [9] [10]}

Tallest buildings

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.

One Metropolitan Square is the tallest habitable building in St. Louis and second tallest in Missouri, by only 31 feet.

The Thomas F. Eagleton United States Courthouse is the second tallest court building in the world and the third tallest building in St. Louis.

909 Chestnut street tower is the second tallest building in St. Louis.

Bank of America Plaza is the tenth-tallest building in St. Louis.

Rank	Image	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. [2] [11] [12]
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. [13] [14]
2		909 Chestnut Street	588 / 179	44	1986	Formerly One SBC Center, tallest building in St. Louis until the construction of One Metropolitan Square. [15] [16]
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. [17] [18]
4		One US Bank Plaza	484 / 148	35	1976	Tallest building in St. Louis until the construction of One AT&T Center in 1986. [19] [20]
5		Laclede Gas Building	401 / 122	31	1969	Tallest building in St. Louis until the construction of One US Bank Plaza in 1976. [21] [22]
6		Southwestern Bell Building	399 / 122	28	1926	Tallest building in St. Louis until the construction of the Laclede Gas Building. [23] [24]
7		Civil Courts Building	386 / 118	13	1929	[25] [26]
8		One Hundred	385 / 117	36	2020	Tallest building in St. Louis outside of downtown. Also known as "One Hundred Above the Park". [27] [28]
9		Bank of America Plaza	384 / 117	31	1981	[29] [30] 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] [31] [32]
11		One Cardinal Way	334 / 102	29	2020	[33] The first tower to be built as a part of the Ballpark Village Masterplan.
12		Park East Tower	330 / 101	26	2007	[34] [35] The tallest residential building in the city when completed.
13		Queeny Tower	321 / 98	19	1965	[36] [37] 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. [38] [39]
15		Park Plaza	310 / 94	27	1931	Tallest building built in St. Louis during the 1930s. [40] [41]
16		Saint Francis de Sales Church	300 / 91	3	1895	Tallest church in St. Louis. [42] [43]
17		1010 Market Street KSDK Channel 5 Building	296 / 90	20	1981
18=		Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis	289 / 88	24	2007	[44] [45]
18=		Millennium Hotel St. Louis	289 / 88	28	1968	Formerly Stouffer's Riverfront Towers and the Regal Riverfront Hotel. [46] [47]
20		Continental Life Building	286 / 87	22	1930	Tallest building in Midtown St. Louis. [48] [49]
21=		Mansion House	285 / 87	28	1965	[50] [51]
21=		City Place St. Louis	285 / 87	28	1965	Formerly the Radisson Hotel & Suites St. Louis. [52] [53]
21=		Gentry's Landing	285 / 87	28	1965	[54] [55]
24		500 Broadway	282 / 86	22	1971	[56] [57]
25=		Council House East	279 / 85	26	1969	[58] [59]
25=		Equitable Building	279 / 85	21	1971	[60] [61]
25=		Hilton East Tower	279 / 85	25	1964	[62] [63]
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. [64] [65] [66]
29		One Bank of America Plaza	275 / 84	22	1976	[67] [68]
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. [69] [70]
31		Renaissance St. Louis Suites Hotel	268 / 82	24	1925	Formerly the Lennox Hotel. [71] [72]
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. [73] [74]
33		Gateway Tower	261 / 80	21	1967	[75] [76]
34		Dorchester Apartments	260 / 79	23	1963	[77]
35		Saint Louis Place	253 / 77	20	1983	[78] [79]
36		Millennium Center	250 / 76	20	1963	[80] [81]
37		Desloge Towers	250 / 76	15	1933	[82] [83]

Tallest buildings by pinnacle height

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	[14]
1	One Metropolitan Square	593 / 181	593 / 181	[14]
2	One US Bank Plaza	592 / 180	484 / 148	[20]
3	909 Chestnut Street	588 / 179	588 / 179	[16]
4	Thomas F. Eagleton United States Courthouse	557 / 170	557 / 170	[18]
5	Southwestern Bell Building	460 / 140	399 / 122	[24]

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

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	[6] [7]
St. Louis Union Station	1820 Market Street	1894–1914	230 / 70	6	[84] [85]
Railway Exchange Building	601–629 Olive Street	1914–1926	277 / 84	21	[86] [87]
Southwestern Bell Building	1010 Pine Street	1926–1969	399 / 122	28	[23] [24]
Laclede Gas Building	716–726 Olive Street	1969–1976	401 / 122	31	[21] [22]
One US Bank Plaza	505 North 7th Street	1976–1986	484 / 148	35	[19] [20]
One AT&T Center	909 Chestnut Street	1986–1989	588 / 179	44	[15] [16]
One Metropolitan Square	201–227 North Broadway	1989–present	593 / 181	42	[13] [14]

See also

• United States portal

• List of tallest buildings in Missouri
• List of tallest buildings in the United States

Notes

1. 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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2. "How Tall is it?". National Park Service. Retrieved February 7, 2010.
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4. "Downtown (C.B.D.)". City of St. Louis. Retrieved February 7, 2010.
5. Roth, Leland M. (1979). A concise history of American architecture. Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press. pp. 180–1. ISBN   0-06-430086-2 . Retrieved February 7, 2010.
6. "Old Courthouse". Emporis.com. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved February 12, 2010.
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8. "St. Louis - SkyscraperPage.com". skyscraperpage.com. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
9. "One Cardinal Way, St. Louis - SkyscraperPage.com". skyscraperpage.com. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
10. Editors, Ballpark Digest (December 4, 2019). "Ballpark Village Expansion Hits Latest Construction Milestone | Ballpark Digest" . Retrieved June 30, 2024.{{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
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13. "One Metropolitan Square". Emporis.com. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved January 7, 2010.
14. "Metropolitan Square". SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
15. "One AT&T Center". Emporis.com. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
16. "One SBC Center". SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
17. "Thomas F. Eagleton Courthouse". Emporis.com. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
18. "Eagleton Federal Courthouse". SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
19. "One US Bank Plaza". Emporis.com. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
20. "One US Bank Plaza". SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
21. "Laclede Gas Building". Emporis.com. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
22. "Laclede Gas Building". SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
23. "Southwestern Bell Building". Emporis.com. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
24. "Southwestern Bell Building". SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
25. "Civil Courts Building". Emporis.com. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
26. "Civil Courts Building". SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
27. "One Hundred Above the Park". Emporis.com. Archived from the original on January 24, 2021. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
28. "One Hundred". SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
29. "Bank of America Plaza". Emporis.com. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
30. "Bank of America Plaza". SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
31. "One City Center". Emporis.com. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
32. "One City Center". SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
33. "One Cardinal Way" . Retrieved December 17, 2017.
34. "Park East Tower". SkyscraperPage.com. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
35. "Park East Tower". SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
36. "Queeny Tower". Emporis.com. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
37. "Queeny Tower". SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
38. "Roberts Tower at Mayfair Plaza". Emporis.com. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved March 13, 2011.
39. "Roberts Tower at Mayfair Plaza". SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved March 12, 2011.
40. "Park Plaza Apartments". Emporis.com. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
41. "Park Plaza". SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
42. "Saint Francis de Sales Church". Emporis.com. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
43. "St. Francis de Sales Church". SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
44. "Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis". Emporis.com. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved February 10, 2010.
45. "Lumière Place Four Seasons". SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved February 10, 2010.
46. "Millennium Hotel St. Louis". Emporis.com. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved February 10, 2010.
47. "Millennium Hotel". SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved February 10, 2010.
48. "Continental Life Building". Emporis.com. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved February 10, 2010.
49. "Continental Building". SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved February 10, 2010.
50. "mansion House Apartments". Emporis.com. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved February 10, 2010.
51. "Mansion House". SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
52. "Crowne Plaza St. Louis". Emporis.com. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
53. "Radisson Hotel". SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
54. "The Gentry's Landing". Emporis.com. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved February 10, 2010.
55. "Gentry's Landing". SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved February 10, 2010.
56. "500 Broadway". Emporis.com. Archived from the original on April 9, 2013. Retrieved February 10, 2010.
57. "500 Broadway". SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved February 10, 2010.
58. "Council House East". Emporis.com. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
59. "Council House East". SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
60. "Equitable Building". Emporis.com. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved February 10, 2010.
61. "Equitable Building". SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
62. "Hilton - St. Louis at the Ballpark East Tower". Emporis.com. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
63. "Hilton East Tower". SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
64. Brown, Lisa R. (September 5, 2008). "Macy's selling downtown building; store to stay open". American City Business Journals, Inc. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
65. "Railway Exchange Building". Emporis.com. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
66. "Railway Exchange Building". SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
67. "Bank of America Tower". Emporis.com. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
68. "Bank of America Tower". SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
69. "Barnes-Jewish Hospital South". Emporis.com. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
70. "Barnes-Jewish Hospital South". SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
71. "Renaissance St. Louis Suites Hotel". Emporis.com. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved February 10, 2010.
72. "Renaissance St. Louis Suites Hotel". SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved February 10, 2010.
73. "Union Pacific Company Building". Emporis.com. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved February 10, 2010.
74. "Missouri Pacific Building". SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved February 10, 2010.
75. "KMOV Gateway Tower". Emporis.com. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved February 10, 2010.
76. "Gateway Tower". SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved February 10, 2010.
77. "Dorchester Apartments". SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved February 10, 2010.
78. "Saint Louis Place". Emporis.com. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved February 10, 2010.
79. "Saint Louis Place". SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved February 10, 2010.
80. "Millennium Center". Emporis.com. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved February 10, 2010.
81. "Millennium Center". SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved February 10, 2010.
82. "Desloge Towers". Emporis.com. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved February 10, 2010.
83. "Desloge Towers". SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved February 10, 2010.
84. "St. Louis Union Station". Emporis.com. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved February 12, 2010.
85. "Union Station". SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved February 12, 2010.
86. "Railway Exchange Building". Emporis.com. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved February 12, 2010.
87. "Railway Exchange Building". SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved February 12, 2010.

External links

• St. Louis skyscrapers at Emporis.com ^[usurped]
• St. Louis skyscrapers at SkyscraperPage.com