# List of tallest buildings in St. Louis

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 feet (59 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 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-foot (98 m) 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 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.
| 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 | One Metropolitan Square | 593 / 181 | 42 | 1989 | Tallest habitable building in St. Louis and second tallest habitable building in Missouri. Tallest building in St. Louis built in the 1980s. |
| 2 | 909 Chestnut Street | 588 / 179 | 44 | 1986 | Formerly One SBC Center, tallest building in St. Louis until the construction of One Metropolitan Square. |
| 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. |
| 4 | One US Bank Plaza | 484 / 148 | 35 | 1976 | Tallest building in St. Louis until the construction of One AT&T Center (now 909 Chestnut Street) in 1986. |
| 5 | Laclede Gas Building | 401 / 122 | 31 | 1969 | Tallest building in St. Louis until the construction of One US Bank Plaza in 1976. |
| 6 | Southwestern Bell Building | 399 / 122 | 28 | 1926 | Tallest building in St. Louis until the construction of the Laclede Gas Building. |
| 7 | Civil Courts Building | 386 / 118 | 13 | 1929 | |
| 8 | One Hundred | 385 / 117 | 36 | 2020 | Tallest building in St. Louis outside of downtown. Also known as "One Hundred Above the Park". |
| 9 | Bank of America Plaza | 384 / 117 | 31 | 1981 | 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. |
| 11 | One Cardinal Way | 334 / 102 | 29 | 2020 | The first tower to be built as a part of the Ballpark Village Masterplan. |
| 12 | Park East Tower | 330 / 101 | 26 | 2007 | The tallest residential building in the city when completed. |
| 13 | Queeny Tower | 321 / 98 | 19 | 1965 | 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. |
| 15 | Park Plaza | 310 / 94 | 27 | 1931 | Tallest building built in St. Louis during the 1930s. |
| 16 | Saint Francis de Sales Church | 300 / 91 | 3 | 1895 | Tallest church in St. Louis. |
| 17 | 1010 Market Street KSDK Channel 5 Building | 296 / 90 | 20 | 1981 | |
| 18= | Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis | 289 / 88 | 24 | 2007 | |
| 18= | Millennium Hotel St. Louis | 289 / 88 | 28 | 1968 | Formerly Stouffer's Riverfront Towers and the Regal Riverfront Hotel. |
| 20 | Continental Life Building | 286 / 87 | 22 | 1930 | Tallest building in Midtown St. Louis. |
| 21= | Mansion House | 285 / 87 | 28 | 1965 | |
| 21= | City Place St. Louis | 285 / 87 | 28 | 1965 | Formerly the Radisson Hotel & Suites St. Louis. |
| 21= | Gentry's Landing | 285 / 87 | 28 | 1965 | |
| 24 | 500 Broadway | 282 / 86 | 22 | 1971 | |
| 25= | Council House East | 279 / 85 | 26 | 1969 | |
| 25= | Equitable Building | 279 / 85 | 21 | 1971 | |
| 25= | Hilton East Tower | 279 / 85 | 25 | 1964 | |
| 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. |
| 29 | One Bank of America Plaza | 275 / 84 | 22 | 1976 | |
| 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. |
| 31 | Renaissance St. Louis Suites Hotel | 268 / 82 | 24 | 1925 | Formerly the Lennox Hotel. |
| 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. |
| 33 | Gateway Tower | 261 / 80 | 21 | 1967 | |
| 34 | Dorchester Apartments | 260 / 79 | 23 | 1963 | |
| 35 | Saint Louis Place | 253 / 77 | 20 | 1983 | |
| 36 | Millennium Center | 250 / 76 | 20 | 1963 | |
| 37 | 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 | Standard height feet / m |
| - | Gateway Arch | 630 / 192 | 630 / 192 |
| 1 | One Metropolitan Square | 593 / 181 | 593 / 181 |
| 2 | One US Bank Plaza | 592 / 180 | 484 / 148 |
| 3 | 909 Chestnut Street | 588 / 179 | 588 / 179 |
| 4 | Thomas F. Eagleton United States Courthouse | 557 / 170 | 557 / 170 |
| 5 | Southwestern Bell Building | 460 / 140 | 399 / 122 |

## 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|- |
| Cordish Co's Millennium Tower and Development | Downtown | 492-500/ 150~152 | 40+ | 2025 | Proposed | Residential/ | 200 S. Fourth St. The $670 million project Plans for upscale residential and Class A office space. |
| AHM Mass Timber Tower | Downtown West | 330-600/ 102~ | 29 | 2026? | Proposed | Residential | 280 unit apartment building at 21st and Locust streets |
| Albion Tower | Central West End | 335-400 / 102 | 30-40 | 2025 | Approved | Residential | 293 unit apartment building at 4974 Lindell Blvd - construction to begin in mid-2025 |
| Two Cardinal Way Tower | Downtown | 334/ 102 | 29 | 2026? | Vision | Residential/ | The Second tower to be built as a part of the Ballpark Village Masterplan. |
| 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

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 |
| Old Courthouse | Between Broadway, Chestnut, Fourth, & Market Streets | 1864–1894 | 192 / 59 | 2 |
| St. Louis Union Station | 1820 Market Street | 1894–1914 | 230 / 70 | 6 |
| Railway Exchange Building | 601–629 Olive Street | 1914–1926 | 277 / 84 | 21 |
| Southwestern Bell Building | 1010 Pine Street | 1926–1969 | 399 / 122 | 28 |
| Laclede Gas Building | 716–726 Olive Street | 1969–1976 | 401 / 122 | 31 |
| One US Bank Plaza | 505 North 7th Street | 1976–1986 | 484 / 148 | 35 |
| One AT&T Center | 909 Chestnut Street | 1986–1989 | 588 / 179 | 44 |
| One Metropolitan Square | 201–227 North Broadway | 1989–present | 593 / 181 | 42 |