Cass Gilbert, Skyscraper Pioneer

• 1900: Broadway Chambers Building, New York City
• 1902: Essex County Courthouse, Newark, New Jersey
• 1904: Festival Hall and Art Building, St. Louis, Missouri
• 1905: , St. Paul
• 1907: US Custom House
• 1913: F.W. Woolworth Company Building, New York City
• 1915: Completed the Arkansas State Capitol Building
• 1917: Allen Memorial Art Museum at Oberlin College, Ohio
• 1921: Detroit Public Library
• 1926: Plans for George Washington Bridge, New York
• 1928: New York Life Insurance Building
• 1935: U.S. Supreme Court Building, Washington D.C.

• "In conducting business (especially for the office) never forget that the greatest danger arises from cocksure pride."
• "Beware of over-confidence; especially in matters of structure."
• "It is only the young and callow and ignorant that admire rashness. Think before you speak. Know your subject."

• William LeBaron Jenney
• William Sullivan
• William Holabird

Although Cass Gilbert's name is rarely mentioned today, he exercised enormous influence on the development of architecture in the United States. He is perhaps best known for his gothic skyscraper, the Woolworth Building, which was the world's tallest building at the time. Combining modern technologies with historic ideas, Gilbert designed numerous public buildings, including the state capitols of Minnesota, West Virginia, and Arkansas. He was consulting architect for the George Washington Bridge, which crosses the Hudson River in upper Manhattan, New York City.

Cass Gilbert was highly regarded by politicians and other luminaries of the day. President Theodore Roosevelt made him chairman of the Council of Fine Arts, and President Wilson reappointed him. Gilbert received many gold metals in the United States and Europe. In 1931 the Society of Arts and Sciences awarded Cass Gilbert for inaugurating the age of skyscrapers. Cass Gilbert served as president of the American Institute of Architects in 1908 and 1909, and helped found the Architectural League of New York, serving as its president for two years.

By the 1950s, Gilbert's name slipped into obscurity. Modernism, which idealized sleek, unornamented forms, became fashionable and Gilbert's buildings were often dismissed or ridiculed. Today, however, a new appreciation for architecture based on historic themes has reawakened interest in the work of Cass Gilbert.

For photos and information about the life and works of Cass Gilbert, see Inventing the Skyline: The Architecture of Cass Gilbert, published by Columbia University Press.