Tower Grove Park (Tour)

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At the western entrance to Tower Grove Park, this 1870 gate and gatehouse are the only examples of Gothic Revival architecture within the park. They are also one of the few examples of the Gothic Revival style in Missouri. In keeping with the vision of the park's founder, Henry Shaw, the opulent gate and gatehouse were designed to create an impression of grandeur. Constructed from coarse limestone, the gatehouse features a step-gabled roof, while the castle-like gate is comprised of two forty-foot limestone towers. The park opened to the public in 1872, and it is designated as a National Historic Landmark.

2. Historic Horse Stables, Tower Grove Park

Built in 1868, these historic stables are adjacent to the Park Foreman's Residence in Tower Grove Park. Constructed from coarse limestone in a deliberately rustic, vernacular style, the building includes a ten-stall horse stable. There is also a bell-tower that is reminiscent of the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas. Following the design and completion of Tower Grove Park, the landscape was opened to the public in 1872 as a place for strolling along the footpaths, enjoying the formal gardens, and going on horse-drawn carriage rides. Over a century later, in 1989, the park was designated a National Historic Landmark. The horse stables are considered a contributing structure to this historic landscape.

3. Historic Tennis Courts

Tower Grove Park has three historic lawn tennis courts (built in 1911), in addition to clay courts (1912) and a dozen all-weather asphalt courts (installed in 1952). Pickle-ball courts were also added to the park in 2017. Lawn tennis is a traditional Victorian-era sport, yet grass courts are notoriously difficult to play on and to maintain, as compared with other surfaces. According to the tennis pro at Tower Grove Park, these lawn courts are the only remaining grass tennis courts in the midwest. For an annual membership fee, players can use the courts and participate in tournaments. At the entrance to the tennis and pickleball courts is a classical stone pavilion, built in 1952 and dedicated to the park's founder.

4. North Gate

Built between 1870 and 1872, the North Gate is the entrance to Tower Grove Park from Magnolia Avenue. This gate includes two towering ornamental stones columns, which were intended to create an impression of grandeur when visiting the park. The columns were constructed in a formal, monumental style that was favored by landscape architects in the late nineteenth century. The stones used in the columns came from the St. Louis Courthouse following the renovation of that building in 1870.

5. Piper Palm House

Built in 1878, the Piper Palm House holds the distinction of being the oldest greenhouse located west of the Mississippi River. Situated at Tower Grove Park, it was constructed as a place to overwinter the park's collection of tropical plants. In 1885, a nearly identical building, the Piper Plant House, was constructed adjacent to it. Although both structures were primarily used as greenhouses since the late nineteenth century, the Piper Palm House now serves as a venue for weddings and other special events.

6. Historic Waterlily Ponds

The historic waterlily ponds at Tower Grove Park were the vision of Henry Shaw, founder of the park and of the nearby Missouri Botanical Garden. Established in 1872, the 285-acre park was situated on land south of the city and designed in the formal Gardenesque style. In 2008, the park underwent a major restoration, after which the waterlily ponds more closely resembled their original nineteenth-century appearance. A collection of photographs at the Missouri Historical Society depicts visitors to the park (circa 1900 - 1905) standing atop the large waterlilies.

7. Fountain Pond and Ruins

One of the premiere attractions in Tower Grove Park, the Fountain Pond and Ruins contains stones from the Old Lindell House Hotel. The historic stones were used to create a decorative fountain and rockery, featuring stonework arranged artistically within the landscape. Nestled amidst the historic stones are flower gardens and benches. There are also several waterlily ponds nearby. The site is a focal point within Tower Grove Park, which opened to the public in 1872 and is listed as a National Historic Landmark.

8. Music Stand, Tower Grove Park

The Music Stand is one of the best-known features in Tower Grove Park. Built in 1872, it was designed by Eugene Greenleaf. The octagonal open-air bandstand has a dome-shaped red roof, upon which is mounted a tall finial. The roof is supported by six columns constructed from Missouri granite. The original colors (brown, mustard, cream, and olive) have been modified, and the pavilion is now painted in white with turquoise trim. Bright red paint is still used for the dome-shaped roof and other decorative trim.

9. Alexander von Humboldt Statue

This bronze statue depicts the nineteenth-century Prussian naturalist, geographer, and explorer, Alexander von Humboldt (1769 - 1859). Humboldt is credited with shaping a nineteenth-century understanding of ecology in a Western scientific context through his travels and detailed studies of geobotany (botanical geography), climatology, geology, and other earth sciences. While exploring Ecuador's Mount Chimborazo in South America, Humboldt produced detailed, illustrated maps depicting plants in various micro-climates. He also put forward his theory of isotherms, or climates shared across different parts of the world. As Humboldt reflected on the intersection between nature and culture, his work also integrated various scientific disciplines and fields of study. A holistic, environmental thinker and popularizer of science, Humboldt wrote several influential treatises, including his five-volume Cosmos: A Sketch of a Physical Description of the Universe, which was published between 1845 and 1862. The Humboldt statue in Tower Grove Park was created by the German sculptor, Ferdinand von Miller, and was installed at the park in 1878.

10. Old Carriage Shelter Pavilion

Designed in 1873 by Henry Thiele, this wooden pavilion near the Music Stand in Tower Grove Park was built as a rest station to support the many people who enjoyed carriage drives through the park in the late nineteenth century. At the time, the facility also included hitching posts for horses and a wooden fence built in the Chinese Chippendale style that has since been removed along with the hitching posts. The Old Carriage Shelter is one of ten colorful Victorian pavilions in Tower Grove Park. Each pavilion adds to the historic character of the landscape while offering places to sit and relax. Tower Grove Park was founded by the philanthropist Henry Shaw as a public space for people to enjoy the outdoors.

11. Historic Dovecote and Pavilion

Built in 1871-72, this pavilion features a curved roof with alternating red and white stripes. Designed by the architect Eugene Greenleaf, it is one of the park's original Victorian-era pavilions, or 'summer houses.' Originally, the structure served as a Dove-cot or Dovecote (dove house), because it provided roosts for birds in the upper portion of the cupola roof. In 1892, the roosts were closed, and the structure underwent a renovation. New tiers added to the metal roof, and the base of the pavilion was also widened with additional iron beams for support.

12. South Gate Lodge

South Gate Lodge is a Romanesque Revival structure near the southern entrance to Tower Grove Park. Originally, this was the pedestrian entrance to the park from Arsenal Street. The lodge was designed by the St. Louis architect George I. Barnett in the style of an Italian villa. Along with the south gate, it was built from limestone in 1888. Nearly a century later, it was restored as the park's headquarters in 1978. Today, it is home to ArtScope, an organization that provides educational opportunities for youths.

13. Old Playground Pavilion

The Old Playground Pavilion in Tower Grove Park was built in 1870-71. Designed by Eugene Greenleaf, the octagonal Victorian pavilion features a blue bell-cast metal roof mounted by a dome-shaped cupola. Rounded arches and ornamental scrollwork add to its distinct style. The pavilion looks out on a croquet lawns as well as a playground. In 2021, the pavilion was renovated with lighting added to illuminate the historic structure at night.

14. East Gate

The East Gate is the formal entrance to Tower Grove Park from Grand Boulevard. It is comprised of two stone pylons, each topped with a griffin or winged lion sculpture. The pylons are flanked by an ornate wrought iron fence that extends into the green space filled with trees. In the roadway median, a wrought iron sign with gold lettering welcomes visitors to the park. The gate was built circa 1872, and it reflects a formal style of architecture that was popular in the late nineteenth century.

This Tour is a Virtual Museum or Site Tour.

Tower Grove Park

Created by Jenevieve Hughes on November 7th 2022, 5:17:20 pm.

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Description

Tower Grove Park was founded in 1868 by Henry Shaw, a retired merchant, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. Shaw had previously established the Missouri Botanical Garden on land that was part of his country estate, located to the west of St. Louis. To expand upon this plan, he set aside another tract of land as green space outside the city for the public to enjoy, and Tower Grove Park emerged from this vision. The park is a National Historic Landmark, one of only eight parks in the U.S. to have received this special designation.

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Tower Grove Park

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