Tower Grove Park Pavilions

St. Louis’s Tower Grove Park, one of only seven parks designated as a National Historic Landmark, has the greatest collection of Victorian pavilions in the world.

Designed and constructed between 1871 and 1914, the 12 pavilions, each of which has a different design, are beloved features of the 289-acre park, which also has a lily pond, a bandstand, and 400 species of trees, bushes, and flowering plants.

Two of them—the 2,506-square-foot Turkish Pavilion, which has a candy-cane-striped roof with flamboyantly sinuous curves, and the 750-square-foot Old Playground Pavilion, which is crowned by a weathervane—have been restored to their former glory by Trivers.

“In the original design of the park, the views and vistas, both to and from the pavilions, were important,” says principal Amy Gilbertson, FAIA. “We studied original drawings and thought about people’s experience in and around the pavilions when we were doing the restorations.”

The restoration included the repair of the support columns and architectural details. The patching of the historic terne metal roofs was done with a modern-day terne product (tin coating over a stainless-steel sheet), using historically appropriate techniques, and an epoxy material was used for patching the ornamental wood details as well as structural wood.

The repair of the cast-iron columns of the Turkish Pavilion, which also has wooden-column supports, required peened nickel-based welding, which involved striking and spreading nickel-based weld beads and slowing the cooling rate

by using insulating blankets so the metal would not crack.

“The welding strategy was a collaboration between the contractor and subcontractor and our engineers,” Gilbertson says. “The system they chose required creativity and a unique skill set.”

The wood columns of each required custom shoring because of the delicate roof systems, and new concrete foundations, larger than the originals to enhance accessibility and drainage, were poured.

The pavilions were painted in original custom color schemes that were derived from research and coated with Polyurethane-Modified Methyl Methacrylate (PUMA) for durability.

Strategically placed pole lighting, chosen because it doesn’t need to be attached to the pavilions, illuminates them at dusk, creating what Gilbertson calls “a museum-like curation of these special Victorian structures.”

The project was particularly meaningful for Trivers team members, many of whom, like Gilbertson, live in the neighborhood and frequently go to the park.

“The project is part of the park’s master plan,” she says. “The products and solutions we came up with will be replicated on the rest of the pavilions as funding becomes available.” TB

Trivers

KPFF Consulting Engineers

Civil Design Inc.

Custom Engineering

Randy Burkett Lighting Design

Megeri

Missouri Builders Service

Spectra Painting Co.

Acme Erectors

St. Louis Woodworks

Abatron