About the Park

 
 
 

Tower Grove Park

Tower Grove Park is a public park and arboretum maintained, operated, and programmed by an independent Board of Commissioners and staff. The Board of Commissioners receive support from memberships, private donations, grants, rental fees, and the city of St. Louis. The Tower Grove Park staff is the only provider of maintenance for the Park. Download the Park’s ordinances, rules and regulations.

Our Mission

The mission of Tower Grove Park is to be an exemplary, well-preserved and well-presented, wooded Victorian park of international significance that provides important recreational, educational and cultural opportunities for the public in a way that is compatible with its unique and historic character. The Park is located in St. Louis city, bordered by the Shaw, Tower Grove South, Tower Grove East, and Southwest Garden neighborhoods.

Tower Grove Park’s landscape of grassy meadows, approximately seven thousand trees and many varied flowerbeds make the park an important urban green space. The Park is a premier urban and historical destination, and is maintained through an annual park maintenance program, an urban forest renewal program, and an array of free and low-cost educational, recreational, cultural and social opportunities for schools, neighboring communities, and the St. Louis region.

Cultural and educational programs include the Summer Children’s Performance Series, the Tower Grove Farmers' Market, lecture series, art exhibits, and band concerts. Victorian pavilions are a favorite site for family, school, and community events and celebrations. Well-maintained trails, tennis courts and athletic fields are busy year-round.  The Park’s splash pad and three playgrounds are well-maintained, safe, and fun family gathering places.

Tower Grove Park annually serves thousands of children and adults of diverse races/ethnicities and socio-economic backgrounds from the St. Louis region. The majority of those served by Tower Grove Park are residents of nearby neighborhoods in the city of St. Louis. Twenty-five percent of residents in the Park’s zip code (63110) live below the poverty level.

Tower Grove Park serves many neighborhood schools who use the Park landscape for outdoor education and recreation. Examples of neighborhood schools who use the Park include St. Louis Public Schools such as Shenandoah, Mullanphy and Adams Elementary Schools, Marian Middle School, City Garden Montessori, and Tower Grove Christian Academy.

Tower Grove Park is maintained completely by its own independent staff

In fact, support from the city of St. Louis only comprises a portion of the Park’s budget—nearly $1 million additional dollars must be raised each year from private donations, grants, and rental fees in order to sustain Park operations. Your support, whether as a Friend, Society Member, or Corporate Friend, makes a difference in our ability to keep the Park green, safe, and beautiful each day. Please consider making a donation today, and feel proud during your next run, walk, game, or picnic that you are a part of Tower Grove Park.

For more information, please contact our Development Director at (314) 771-4484.

your contribution helps

Sample Operating Expenses

  • $735 per day to keep the grass cut

  • $2,100 per week to maintain healthy trees

  • $2,900 per month to keep the Park clean and trash-free

  • $25,000 to $30,000 annually to protect and preserve historic pavilions

Learn more about how you can help support the Park in our operations.

Community & Cultural Impact

  • One of only seven National Historic Landmark Parks along with Central Park and Boston Public Garden

  • Three playgrounds, nine concrete and three grass tennis courts, eight pickleball courts, seven miles of running/walking trails, twelve softball/kickball fields, six soccer fields, three baseball fields, and other open green spaces for sports and recreation

  • Ten historic pavilions and four picnic sites for affordable gatherings and events

  • Free Muckerman Fountain and splash pad welcome thousands for cool relief each summer

  • More than 200,000 annually attend cultural events such as the International Institute's Festival of Nations, Sauce Food Truck Friday, and Tower Grove Farmers’ Market

  • Free concerts from the St. Louis Symphony and Compton Heights Community Band, and the Summer Children’s Concert Series offer music throughout the year for local audiences

Environmental Impact

  • Tower Grove Park is a Level II Accredited Arboretum through ArbNet

  • There are about 7,000 trees in Tower Grove Park, consisting of approximately 340 tree types

  • There are two State Champion trees, a swamp privet (Forestiera acuminata) and bigtooth aspen (Populus grandidentata)

  • The estimated value of Tower Grove Park’s tree population is about $10.2 million

  • The Park’s trees provide about $395,000 in annual environmental, economic, and social benefits

  • The Gaddy Wild Bird Garden is designated as an Important Bird Area by the National Audubon Society, providing habitat for more than 200 recorded resident and migrating bird species

  • Native plantings in new savannah areas and 7,000 recent plantings in riparian waterway corridors provide habitat and sustenance for Monarch butterflies and pollinators