Ellis Wainwright

Biography

Ellis Wainwright built a brewing fortune and famously commissioned the Wainwright Building in St. Louis, a pioneering skyscraper by Adler & Sullivan that signaled the city's ambition and modern spirit. His patronage extended to civic beautification projects and the Wainwright Tomb at Bellefontaine Cemetery, expressing both his private tastes and his desire to shape the public realm.

Despite facing legal challenges later in life, Wainwright maintained a deep affection for his hometown and supported charitable causes, believing that prosperity should nourish culture as well as commerce. He died in 1924, and visitors to Bellefontaine Cemetery still admire the graceful monuments he inspired and the testament they provide to his complex, generous heart.