Southwestern Bell Building, Gothic Revival skyscraper in downtown St. Louis, United States
The Southwestern Bell Building is a stone Gothic skyscraper in downtown St. Louis rising 28 stories with elaborate exterior decoration. It features pointed arches and carved stonework, with multiple setback levels that create a stepped appearance as the structure rises.
Completed in 1926, this building became Missouri's tallest structure at the time it opened. It served as the headquarters for Southwestern Bell Telephone Company and reflected the importance of telephone communication to the growing city.
This structure shows how St. Louis companies in the 1920s used historical styles to express corporate identity and power through their office buildings. Visitors can see this intention reflected in the careful details and commanding street presence.
The building sits on Pine Street in the downtown core and is easy to spot from the street. The facade is visible from public areas, and the location is easy to reach on foot while exploring the city center.
The building's setbacks were a design trend of that era that gave structures a three-dimensional silhouette against the sky. This technique was actually required by old city rules that tied maximum building height to street width.
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