County of structure: Independent City of St. Louis
Location of structure: North of circle area & Main Dr., Tower Grove Park, St. Louis
Built: 1871
Phone:(314) 771-2679
Capacity: 75
Cost: $70 per day
Number 11 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." ~ NRHP Nomination Form
Humboldt North Pavilion
This shelter is one of a pair of octagonal pavilions built in 1870-71 following designs by Eugene Greenleaf, and referred to as the "Humboldt" pavilions because of their proximity to the monumental bronze statue of Alexander von Humboldt erected in 1878. The Humboldt North pavilion cost almost $1,000 and is distinguished from its southern partner by its latticed, weather vane cupola, and its gold and dark green color scheme." ~ Tower Grove Park
Tower Grove Map