St. Louis, an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri, anchors the largest metropolitan area in the state, with 2.8 million residents. The city is home to 60 buildings with a height greater than 200 feet (61 m) as of 2026. 14 of these buildings are taller than 300 ft (91 m), the second most in Missouri after Kansas City, which has 18. St. Louis' skyline is famous for the Gateway Arch, a 630 ft (192 m) tall monument commemorating the westward expansion of the United States. The world's tallest arch, it was completed in 1965 and opened in 1967. The tallest habitable building in St. Louis is One Metropolitan Square, an office skyscraper rising to a height of 593 ft (181 m) and built in 1988. Close behind is 909 Chestnut Street, which is only 5 feet shorter at 588 ft (179 m) and was completed in 1986.
One of the largest cities in the United States at the turn of the 20th century, St. Louis has an early history of high-rise development. The ten-story Wainwright Building, designed by architect Louis Sullivan and built in 1891, is considered to be one of the earliest examples of an aesthetically fully expressed skyscraper. The Greek Revival-style Old Courthouse, site of the Dred Scott case, remained the tallest building in St. Louis until the early 20th century. Historic buildings realized in the 1910s and 1920s include the Railway Exchange Building, Marriott St. Louis Grand Hotel, and the Southwestern Bell Building, which at 399 ft (122 m) was the tallest building in St. Louis from 1926 to 1969 as the Great Depression brought about a freeze in skyscraper construction in the 1930s.
Despite undergoing population decline, St. Louis entered another major period of development from the 1960s to 1980s. In addition to the addition of St. Louis' two tallest buildings, the 1980s also saw the construction of One City Center, then the largest urban shopping mall in the United States, and the Civil Courts Building, notable for its pyramidal roof. While skyscraper development slowed down in the 1990s, an even taller court building, the Thomas F. Eagleton United States Courthouse, was built in 2000. It is the second tallest judicial building in the world, and the largest in the country. The downtown skyline has changed relatively little in the 21st century, with the tallest addition being One Cardinal Way, a 334 ft (102 m) tower completed in 2020 as part of the expansion of Ballpark Village. The residential towers of Park East Tower and One Hundred Above the Park have redefined the skyline of Central West End.
St. Louis' tallest buildings are located in Downtown St. Louis, which is immediately west of the Mississippi River. Central West End, west of downtown, has the next largest collection of high-rises in the city. Besides its residential towers, the Washington University Medical Campus has several multi-story buildings for hospitals and related healthcare facilities. The campus has expanded significantly in the 21st century. Midtown St. Louis has a smaller number of high-rises, the tallest being the 286 ft (87 m) Continental Life Building. The city of Clayton, directly west of St. Louis, boasts the second largest skyline in Greater St. Louis as a major business district.
In the 1850s, the cityâÂÂs tallest building was the six-story Barnum's City Hotel, designed by architect George I. Barnett. From 1864 until 1894, it was the Old Courthouse, which stands tall.
The city gained one of the worldâÂÂs first modern skyscrapers with the 1890-91 construction of the 10-story Wainwright Building. Designed by Louis Sullivan and Dankmar Adler using the principle of "form follows function", the office building had a steel frame and elevators, two innovations that helped produce the skyscraper era.
Into the 1900s, St. Louis saw construction move westward, especially that of office buildings. In 1914, the Railway Exchange Building was completed, which was the city's tallest building for many years. The city underwent a moderate building boom in the 1920s, which led to the planning of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial in 1935.
Seven of the top 30 tallest skyscrapers have been built in the 21st century; the most recent is One Cardinal Way, a 29-story, tower completed in 2020 as part of the expansion of Ballpark Village.
Downtown St. Louis has most of the city's tall buildings, which are separated from the Mississippi River by the Gateway Arch and the surrounding Gateway Arch National Park. The maps below show buildings taller than 200 ft (61 m) in downtown, numbered by their rank among the cityâÂÂs tall buildings and colored by the decade of its completion.
For 80 years, the tallest building in the Central West End neighborhood directly east of Forest Park was the 1931 Park Plaza hotel. It was dethroned in 2020 by One Hundred Above the Park, a residential high-rise designed by Studio Gang. Central West End is also home to the Washington University Medical Campus, which has several medical and educational buildings that stand taller than 200 ft (61 m).
This list ranks completed buildings in St. Louis that stand at least 200 ft (61 m) tall as of 2026, based on standard height measurement. This includes spires and architectural details but does not include antenna masts. The âÂÂYearâ column indicates the year of completion. Buildings tied in height are sorted by year of completion with earlier buildings ranked first, and then alphabetically. Free-standing structures taller than 200 ft (61 m) are also included for comparison purposes.
Outside of the city of St. Louis, the largest concentration of high-rises in the St. Louis metropolitan area is found in Clayton, which is immediately west of St. Louis. Clayton has over ten buildings taller than 200 ft (61 m), and has seen more high-rise construction in the 21st century relative to St. Louis.
The following table includes buildings under construction in St. Louis that are planned to be at least 200 ft (61 m) tall as of 2026, based on standard height measurement. The âÂÂYearâ column indicates the expected year of completion. Buildings that are on hold are not included.
The following table includes approved and proposed buildings in St. Louis that are expected to be at least 200 ft (61 m) tall as of 2026, based on standard height measurement. The âÂÂYearâ column indicates the expected year of completion. A dash âÂÂâÂÂâ indicates information about the buildingâÂÂs height, floor count, or year of completion is unknown or has not been released.
This table lists buildings that once stood taller than 200 ft (61 m) in St. Louis that have been demolished.
This table lists buildings that once held the title of tallest building in St. Louis.