The Wainwright Building

One of the first true skyscrapers in the world and a National Historic Landmark. Designed by Adler and Sullivan, the Wainwright set the template for the modern office tower.

Commissioned by brewer Ellis Wainwright as a speculative office building, completed in 1891. Sullivan broke from historical precedent, expressing the steel frame through vertical terracotta piers running uninterrupted from base to cornice. Threatened with demolition in the 1970s before being saved by preservationists and acquired by the state of Missouri.