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.

Tower Grove Park opened to the public in 1872 as a place for scenic carriage drives, listening to musical concerts, walking along winding footpaths, and enjoying the shade of the park's pavilions. Prior to the park's founder, Henry Shaw, purchasing and donating this land from his country estate to the City, it was an open prairie landscape. Known as Prairie des Noyes, the land was used as common fields for agriculture, and crops were planted in long, narrow, rectangular rows. When the land was developed to become Tower Grove Park, the result was a landscape shaped in a long, wide, narrow rectangle.

Located throughout the park, a series of Victorian pavilions provide decorative yet functional places to sit and enjoy the landscape. Built as a summer house offering shelter and shade, this red and white striped pavilion was originally a dovecote or dove house until 1892. The curved upper tiers of the metal roof are crowned by a bulb-shaped finial, while the outer posts and lintels are constructed of blue-painted iron. Further interior support is provided by paired wooden posts.

In 1892, the Board of Commissioners decided to upgrade the pavilion, expanding its size and height. Large lower tiers were added to the red and white striped metal roof, which was supported by new iron posts. The structure later became known as the Turkish Pavilion due to the style of the roof. Located in the center of the park, it is most easily reached from the south gate entrance. In 2021, lighting was added to the interior roof of the pavilions so that they could be viewed while illuminated at night.

Nomination Form - National Register of Historic Places, Tower Grove Park. National Archives Catalog. Accessed November 13th, 2022. https://preview.catalog.archives.gov/id/63818182.

Tower Grove Park Pavilions | Living St. Louis, NinePBS, YouTube Channel. Accessed November 13th, 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTUMdv2bxVw.

Tower Grove Park pavilions to receive million-dollar renovations, FOX 2 St. Louis, YouTube Channel. Accessed November 13th, 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IEyEsK5yLw.

Turkish Pavilion, Tower Grove Park. Accessed November 13th, 2022. https://www.towergrovepark.org/turkish-pavilion.

Tower Grove Park, Shelter Ten, 4255 Arsenal Street, Saint Louis, Independent City, MO, Library of Congress. Accessed November 13th, 2022. https://www.loc.gov/item/mo0376/.