Cleveland Avenue Gatehouse, Missouri Botanical Garden

According to the Historic American Buildings Survey, the Cleveland Avenue Gatehouse was the last building constructed by Henry Shaw, completing his vision for his botanical garden. And how the world had changed. When he first had arrived in St. Louis, the United States was far different; Shaw could and did own slaves, and was able…

South Entrance Lodge, Tower Grove Park

I can’t find much information about the South Entrance Lodge of Tower Grove Park, but it is a wonderful building combining a mostly Romanesque Revival Style structure with elements of the Baroque Revival. It sits close to the Arsenal Entrance and Center Cross Street, and the busy cut-through traffic from Tower Grove Avenue and Magnolia…

Ruins, Tower Grove Park

The architectural ruins around the pond in the center of Tower Grove Park evoke the “garden follies” of European palace grounds. These stones are imbued with even more resonance; they come from some of the most famous buildings of the Nineteenth Century in St. Louis.

Tower Grove Park, Sunset

Tower Grove Park is one of the jewels of St. Louis, and it is just as beautiful as the more famous Forest Park, with a fraction of the crowds. What is interesting is that Henry Shaw laid out the park, and built most of the pavilions, long before the city reached out to the park. …

Tower Grove Park Superintendent House

I was able to tour the inside of the Tower Grove Park House, which is restored back to its original appearance. The house sits in a grove of trees, surrounded by the park. I would find it a little unsettling to live in the middle of a park in the city, with no neighbors. See…