Cass Gilbert Cass Gilbert Cass Gilbert (November 24, 1859 – May 17, 1934) was a prominent American architect. An early proponent of skyscrapers in works like the Woolworth Building, Gilbert was also responsible for the Saint Louis Art Museum and Public Library; the Minnesota, Arkansas and West Virginia State Capitols; and the United States Supreme Court building. His public buildings in the Beaux Arts style reflect the optimistic American sense that the nation was heir to Greek democracy, Roman law and Renaissance humanism. Gilbert's achievements were recognized in his lifetime; he served as president of the American Institute of Architects in 1908–09.
Woolworth Building Tennessee, built in 1924, is a small replica of the building, standing at one-third its height. Frank Woolworth commissioned Cass Gilbert in 1910 to design a 20-story office building as the F. W. Woolworth Company's new corporate headquarters on Broadway, between Park Place and Barclay Street in Lower Manhattan, opposite City Hall. Originally designed to be high, the building was eventually elevated to . Construction was completed in 1912 and the building opened on April 24, 1913. President Woodrow Wilson turned the lights on by way of a button in Washington, D.C. that evening. The Woolworth Building was 60 stories