Submitted by Kristi Wachter on
Cass Gilbert was a pioneer in the development of steel-frame skyscrapers. Many of his most famous works are in New York City, but his buildings also stand in Saint Louis, New Haven, and Washington, DC.
Gilbert was born on November 24, 1859 in Zanesville, Ohio. His father died when Cass was young and the family then moved to St. Paul, Minnesota. Gilbert attended college briefly at Malcalester College before dropping out and beginning a career as an architect at the age of 17. He started at the Abraham M. Radcliffe office in St. Paul, Minnesota and then enrolled in the architect program at MIT in 1878.
After attending MIT, Gilbert worked with the firm of McKim, Mead, and White. He then started his own architect practice with James Knox Taylor in St. Paul. Gilbert was one of the first celebrity architects in the United States. He was in demand the whole country over.
Cass Gilbert died on May 17, 1934 at the age of 74.