County of structure: Independent City of St. Louis
Location of structure: Main Dr., tower Grove Park, St. Louis
Phone:(314) 771-2679
Capacity: 150
Built: 1873
Cost: $90 per day
Number 19 Gazebo
"Tower Grove Park encompasses a long, narrow rectangular area of
277 acres located in the south central section of St. Louis,
Missouri. It is bounded by Magnolia Avenue on the north, Grand
Boulevard on the east, Arsenal Street on the south and Kingshighway Boulevard on the west.
"Tower Grove Park (the second largest park in St. Louis) is of English design with its grand drives and walks interspersed with colossal but graceful statues, miniature lakes, gazeboes and other summer houses, and hundreds of trees suited to the soil and climate of Missouri.
"Most of the buildings, the main entrance on Grand Boulevard, and the bases of the three 30 foot high bronze statues were designed by George I. Barnett (1815 - 1898). Barnett was an English-born architect who was probably the most distinguished representative of his profession in Missouri in the nineteenth century; he received several other important commissions from Henry Shaw. There are ten picnic pavilions or gazeboes in the park (3, 5, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18, and 19) which reflect a variety of architectural styles including elements of Greek revival, Gothic revival, oriental, and nineteenth century bracket and scroll. As a collection of garden architecture they are perhaps unsurpassed in any public park in this country.
In addition there are smaller well houses (no longer functioning
as sources of drinking water) of a pleasant nineteenth century rural nature. Three Gothic revival stone gatehouses (1, 7, and 20) guard the north, south, and west entrances to the park, and heighten the romantic effect gathered from the other exotic structures on the grounds. The Moorish-domed bandstand (10) is a prominent feature near the center of the park, and it is surrounded by Carrara marble busts of composers which were popular with Mr. Shaw and the public of the l870's: Mozart, Rossini, Verdi, Sounoud, Wagner, and Beethoven." ~ NRRHP Nomination Form
Carriage Pavilion is situated a short distance south of Main Drive, and in the vicinity of the music stand and Concourse Drive. It is provided with hitching posts and well, with a shelter house at the center, and the whole is surrounded by a light wooden fence of ornamental design. Visitors coming to the park on horseback or in carriages, buggies, etc., and desiring to stroll about in the shade while listening to the music, can leave their horses or vehicles at this spot, where they will be safe and out of the way.
Designed in 1873 by Henry Thiele, the Carriage Stand was originally embellished with hitching posts and surrounded by a wooden fence in the "Chinese Chippendale" style utilized near both the Arsenal Street and Magnolia Street entrances to Tower Grove Park. The fence and hitching posts were eventually removed." ~ Tower Grove Park
Tower Grove Map