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. 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.

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 elevators and the use of steel frames. 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". From 1864–1894, the tallest building in St. Louis was the Old Courthouse, at a height of 192 ft. 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. 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 ft tower topped out in 2019 as part of the expansion of Ballpark Village.

Tallest buildings

This list ranks St. Louis skyscrapers that stand at least 250 ft 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.

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, planned, and proposed,

This lists buildings that are under construction, approved, or proposed in St. Louis and are planned to rise over 100 ft. A floor count of 10 stories is used in place of the 100 ft 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.