Wainwright Building

Constructed in 1891 for St. Louis businessman Ellis Wainwright and designed by Chicago architect Louis H. Sullivan, the Wainwright Building became a turning point in architectural history. Considered the father of the contemporary skyscraper and the pioneer of contemporary building design, it emphasized open, spacious interiors and used a load-bearing steel framework combined with architectural details drawn from earlier load-bearing masonry structures. Its large windows brought in natural light, and the airy construction made possible by steel marked a radical departure from the heavy concrete buildings of the time.

East St. Louis, Illinois · United States