ST. LOUIS — Those who have not been to Tower Grove Park in a while may notice some historic and well-known pavilions and structures looking better than ever as some renovations have taken place over the past few years, and more are in the works. 

What You Need To Know

  • Park officials completed the park’s master plan in 2017 that included a list of existing structures needing renovations and a list of additional amenities requested by the community such as restrooms and basketball courts

  • The restorations of both the Turkish and Old Playground pavilions, totaling $1.2 million, were completed in the fall of 2021, which include improved accessibility and maintenance improvements such as a new exposed aggregate pad for visitors, and not to mention fresh paint and brand-new accent lighting

  • Other historic structure renovations involved the park’s horse stable, the Stupp Center and a small project at the Director's Residence

  • The restoration work on the Turkish and Old Playground pavilions, as well as the stable earned Trivers multiple prestigious awards, including the national 2023 Palladio Award, a 2022 Craftsmanship award from the American Institute of Architects of St. Louis and a Most Enhanced award by the St. Louis Landmarks Association

In October of last year, Tower Grove Park was awarded $500,000 from the National Park Service to refurbish four Victorian-era pavilions, including the Old Carriage, Humboldt South, Cypress South and Lily Pond. Fundraising is underway to match the $500,000 grant for additional renovations, according to a press release. The funding comes after the completion of the $1.2 million restoration project of the historic Turkish Pavilion and Old Playground Pavilion in 2021.

Park officials completed the park’s master plan in 2017 that included a list of existing structures needing renovations and a list of additional amenities requested by the community such as restrooms and basketball courts, according to Tower Grove Park Executive Director Bill Reininger.

As funding became available from local donors, park officials partnered with the St. Louis architecture firm Trivers to renovate and enhance historic structures. Finished projects have earned Trivers multiple national and local awards. 

Two St. Louis families donated funds for the Turkish Pavilion and the Old Playground Pavilion to be completely restored. While minor repairs have been made to the two 150-year-old Victorian-era pavilions, Reininger said they had not received a full restoration.

Due to the age of the pavilions, Amy Gilbertson, principal at Trivers, said she and her team researched the best modern materials to use to ensure the repairs and restorations would last a long time since some materials used to build them are no longer commonly used.

The restorations of both pavilions, totaling $1.2 million, were completed in the fall of 2021, which include improved accessibility and maintenance improvements such as a new exposed aggregate pad for visitors, according to Gilbertson, not to mention fresh paint and brand-new accent lighting.

"The Turkish Pavilion has in-grade uplighting as well as overall lighting provided by poles held back from the pavilions. The Old Playground also received overall lighting by way of pole lighting strategically placed outside of historically important view sheds," according to Gilbertson. 

Reininger said none of the pavilions have been lit before, adding, "They look absolutely stunning at night."

 

The donors of the pavilion restorations grew up adjacent to Tower Grove Park and seeing the completed projects were meaningful to them, according to Reininger.

“When we did the ribbon cutting for this, they were visibly excited and emotional about what was done and the pride they and their families have and being a part of this project,” he said.

The feedback from visitors also has been positive, Reininger said.

“What’s not to love,” he said. “They’re more easily accessible; they’re lit. They look so much prettier.”

Reininger mentioned that the Old Playground Pavilion is “really, really striking because of the color contrast and having the white on it,” he said. “It pops. I mean it’s just incredible.”

The restoration work on the Turkish and Old Playground pavilions earned Trivers multiple prestigious awards, including the national 2023 Palladio Award, a 2022 Craftsmanship award from the American Institute of Architects of St. Louis and a Most Enhanced award by the St. Louis Landmarks Association.

“For us, Trivers has just been a tremendous partner through this,” Reininger said. “When you’re doing historic preservation, it’s so important to make sure that you’re partnering with people who have that kind of expertise, experience, and we’ve definitely found that with Trivers.

“Not to mention, many (of their) staff, Amy included, have strong ties to the park themselves, which shows the level of care and professionalism that they’re putting into the work that they’re doing for us.”

Other historic structure renovations were the park’s stable which was in “desperate need of some love and care,” Gilbertson said.

“It’s one of the oldest structures, if not the oldest structure in the park because it was used to house the horses that helped build the park,” she said.

The stable’s stone was restored, as well as received a new roof, new windows, power ventilation, heat, interior water, exterior accent lighting, and a pad for carriage washing. The upgrades and improvements will better serve the horses, Gilbertson said.

In 2019, Trivers won a Most Enhanced award for the stable renovation from the St. Louis Landmarks Association.

“It just really speaks to the design of the quality and the craftsmanship when you’re consistently not only winning local awards, but also national awards as well,” Reininger said.

Additionally, exterior improvements also were made to the Stupp Center along with adding gender neutral bathrooms and renovating the catering kitchen.

Current design projects include new facilities near the Piper Palm House that will consist of additional public restrooms, a concession stand, an improved event space at the director’s garden and improved operational support, according to Reininger.

“I think our team is really excited to just continue partnering with the park and make sure we’re being really thoughtful about the design, making sure that the new structures that we’re adding are complementary and compatible with the historic structures, and just really helping to improve the visitor experience,” Gilbertson said.

Out of all of the different projects she has worked on, Gilbertson said the pavilions were her children’s favorite because Tower Grove Park is where they come often.

“I do all kinds of different projects and this is the one they brag about,” she said with a laugh.

Working on these projects also has meaning to Gilbertson as she has held memorable experiences like celebrations and after work events at Tower Grove Park. The park also played a big role during the pandemic, according to Gilbertson.

“This is where everybody came. It always was popular and even more so then. And then to have the park spending resources, to have donors spending resources to make sure that these are still going to be here for another 150 years from now,” she said.

Editor's Note: The story has been modified to reflect clarification on some of the projects.