Considered to be the best and most complete example of 19th century urban park design in the United States, Tower Grove Park in St. Louis is one of only seven parks designated as a National Historic Landmark. It also is at the center of the most culturally diverse area in the city, serving as the anchor and economic stabilizer of several historic neighborhoods and business districts.
The park boasts the greatest collection of Victorian Pavilions in the world. Designed and constructed between 1870 and 1872, each pavilion has its own unique, ornamental design articulated through details and vibrant paint colors, creating one-of-a-kind structures. Well- loved and in constant use, the pavilions had begun to show extensive signs of structural and cosmetic deterioration.
Trivers restored the Turkish Pavilion and Old Playground Pavilion, completing them in July 2021. The restoration included repair and patching of terne metal roofs, new paint coatings (in custom colors to match the original) for the roofs and ornamental features, repair of ornamental and structural wood, new foundations and cast-iron column repair. A new exposed concrete pad improves accessibility to and through the structures. Strategically placed lighting allows the pavilions to be seen after dusk, creating a museum-like curation of these special Victorian structures.
PHOTOS: Sam Fentress
Retrofit Team
ARCHITECT: Trivers
STRUCTURAL ENGINEER: KPFF
LIGHTING DESIGNER: Reed Burkett Lighting Design
GENERAL CONTRACTOR: Vanstar Construction Co.
CONCRETE: Vee-Jay
CARPENTER: Megeri LLC, (314) 941-1240
SHEET METAL: Missouri Builders Service Inc.
PAINTER: Spectra Painting
CAST IRON REPAIR: Acme Erectors
Materials
WOOD ADHESIVE, EPOXY: LiquidWood and WoodEpox from Abatron
SEALANTS: Sher-Max Elastomeric Sealant (general use) from Sherwin-Williams; Dymonic 100 Sealant (roof joints) from Tremco; and Vulkem 445 SSL (concrete flatwork joints) from Tremco
METAL ROOF COATING: R-Mer Coat from The Garland Co. Inc.
LIGHTING: B-K Lighting; Insight Lighting; and Lyte Poles