Overview

Now serving as quarters for government offices, this building is known worldwide to architecture students as the forerunner of skyscraper construction. Drive by to see this 11-storey building, which was designed by famed architect Louis H. Sullivan using steel supports. Taking its name from Elias Wainwright, the affluent St. Louis businessman who commissioned the design, this structure ranked as the world's most modern building upon its completion in 1892. A floral terra cotta exterior enhances the building with designs that vary from floor to floor, giving it an old-fashioned charm.