Tower Grove Park is a municipal park located in St. Louis, Missouri. Henry Shaw donated the land to the city in 1868. It comprises 289 acres, near another one of Shaw’s legacies: the Missouri Botanical Garden. It sits between Kingshighway Boulevard and Grand Boulevard, extending east to west for 1.6 miles, also bordered by Magnolia Avenue and Arsenal Street on the north and south.
Tower Grove Park Features
The park features 11-original pavilions, most dating from Victorian times, which visitors can use to enjoy the park. There are tables and benches for picnics, with the park landscape consisting of a lily pond and other formal plantings.
There is a bandstand for music and events (Piper Palm House) and tennis courts, a wading pool for children, softball diamonds, and soccer fields. In addition, there are paths for walkers, joggers, bicyclists, tall specimen trees, and a great variety of bushes. The park has been awarded status as a National Historic Landmark for being one of the finest examples of a late 19th-century public park.
Tower Grove Park boasts 400-species of trees, bushes, and flowering plants. It is a well-known birdwatching park, especially during the spring and fall bird migration seasons as migrating birds rest in the park along their journey. Forty percent of North American songbirds and waterfowl use this route.
Statues in Tower Grove Park
The park is known for its many statues dating from the 1800s. There is an entire statue of Alexander von Humboldt, the German naturalist, geographer, explorer, and one of William Shakespeare, both from 1878 and sculpted by German sculptor Ferdinand Freiherr von Miller. This sculptor also produced a statue of the Italian navigator and explorer Christopher Columbus dedicated in 1886 and placed near the gates and entrance from Grand Avenue.
White marble busts encircle the bandstand that depicts famous musical composers such as Mozart and Rossini by Howard Kretschmar from 1882, Beethoven and Wagner by Ferdinand von Miller from 1884, and Gounod and Verdi by Carlo Nicoli from 1886.
On a smaller scale are Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben, the German-born military officer and American Revolution volunteer situated near the Palm house. Steuben later became an American citizen and public figure to German Americans. The original, larger statue (by the German sculptor Cuno von Uechtritz-Steinkirch) was commissioned for the 1904 World’s Fair. The current version was placed in Tower Grove Park in 1968.
Today
Many events are held in Tower Grove Park throughout the year. For example, many weddings, festivals, and events are held in the park during the summer, including events featuring diverse themes such as international culture and paganism. Additionally, a farmers’ market is held from 8:30-12:30 Saturday mornings just west of the Wading Pool Pavilion from May through October. This market features local and organic farmers offering fresh produce and meats, baked goods, and prepared foods and drinks, teas, and coffees, with stalls for artisans, bakers, and artisans.
More St. Louis Attractions: Busch Stadium – Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis – Fox Theatre – Gateway Arch – Lambert International Airport – Mississippi River – Missouri Botanical Garden – Peabody Opera House – Publicly Traded Companies in St. Louis – Soulard District – St. Louis Cardinals – St. Louis Zoo – Union Station.
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