Just east of the Piper Palm House, Tower Grove Park now has a building it went without for most of its history. It holds public restrooms, a catering kitchen, a concession counter and a bike service station. It is also where the Tower Grove Connector ends. Mayor Cara Spencer cut the ribbon on July 16, St. Louis Public Radio reported, and the restrooms opened to the public that day.
This is the building's first winter. It matters now because nearly every cold-weather date on the park's calendar this year, from the holiday pop-up bar to the December market to the 5K finish celebration, takes place within a short walk of it.
What Opened in July, and What It Cost
The July unveiling covered more than one building. According to STLPR, the park opened the Director's Croquet Garden and the new events space together and finished restoring four pavilions. The total cost was $5 million. The garden and events space took $4 million of that, and the pavilions took $1 million. Officials said the Common Ground campaign that pays for this work had raised $20 million so far.
So most of the money went into the facility side, the part that keeps people comfortable on a cold day. The park's completed-projects page lists the restored pavilions by name:
- Old Carriage Pavilion
- Humboldt South Pavilion
- Cypress South Pavilion
- Lily Pond Pavilion
FOX 2's coverage listed what went into the event-space project: public restrooms, a concession area, a bike service system and a catering kitchen. Event storage and better pedestrian access were also included. The park's project notes call the building the endpoint of the Tower Grove Connector, which puts the trailhead and the restrooms in the same spot.
A catering kitchen sitting next to a Victorian glasshouse changes what that glasshouse can host. With food prep, storage and plumbing next door, the Palm House corner can support events that once had to haul all of that in.
A Rockwell Counter Beside the Palm House
The concession counter in the new building has a tenant. Tower Grove Park and Rockwell Beer Company formed a partnership for the space, which goes by the Tower Grove Beer Garden. In July, the park's director of operations, Elizabeth Weis, told First Alert 4 that it would be family-oriented. She said it would serve alcohol, food and hydration drinks, add hot beverages when the weather turns cold, and work with nearby vendors, including the park's farmers' market.
St. Louis Magazine's preview gives a detailed menu:
- Rockwell beer, Goshen coffee and canned cocktails
- Frozen drinks and seasonal hot beverages
- Rotisserie chicken and barbecue
- Tacos, bowls, salad and empanadas
- A breakfast menu in development
The city's liquor-license record for TGP Biergarten LLC on Northeast Drive lists hours of 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. It shows the application was approved for issuance at a September 24 hearing. St. Louis Magazine's November 5 restaurant roundup placed Tower Grove Beer Garden on its November list.
According to Rockwell, this is its third park-based location. The brewery already runs a beer garden in Francis Park and a taproom in The Grove. Not everyone welcomed the plan. First Alert 4 talked with a daily park visitor who worried the counter could cost the park some of its quiet. Rockwell has described its plans as family-oriented.
December Gathers Around the Glasshouse
The Piper Palm House is busiest in December. Frosted, STL Barkeep's holiday pop-up bar, returns to the glasshouse for its sixth year. It runs December 10 through 23, plus December 26. Most nights it is open from 5 to 10 p.m.
This is Frosted's first season with public restrooms and a kitchen in the building next door. The busiest day of the season shows how much use the corner gets.
On Sunday, December 13, the park and the surrounding South Grand area have this schedule:
| Time | Event | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Morning | Frosted 5K, 10th annual | Tower Grove Park |
| 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. | Holiday Winter Market | Tower Grove Park |
| 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. | Grinchmas on Grand, $7 donation for Grinch photos benefiting Tower Grove Park | Rooster South Grand, 3150 South Grand Blvd. |
| 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. | Frosted, extended Sunday hours | Piper Palm House |
The park's Frosted 5K page lists the winter market and the pop-up bar as part of the finish-line celebration. That links the race, the market and the bar into one morning. December 13 is also the only day Frosted opens before 5 p.m., so the bar is open at the same time as the market and the race crowd.
The Grinchmas on Grand event a few blocks away directs its photo donations back to the park. Even the business district's holiday event that day helps fund the park.
The Farmers' Market Shifts to Its Winter Schedule
The Tower Grove Farmers' Market keeps going after the growing season ends. It moves to an off-season schedule. First Alert 4 reported that Rockwell planned to work with the market's vendors, which makes the market part of the Palm House corner's winter story as well.
Here are the market's off-season dates for the rest of the year:
- Saturday, November 21, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Saturday, December 5, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Saturday, December 19, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
In January the market changes to a 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. window. It meets twice a month on January 2 and 16, February 6 and 20, and March 6 and 20. Combined with Frosted and the Sunday market, that gives the park something on its calendar almost every week from late November until the bar closes on December 26.
The park lists its autumn carriage rides as running through November 19.
Garden Glow Covers the Weeknights on Shaw
Shaw Boulevard has its own winter draw. At the Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Blvd., Garden Glow runs November 14 through January 2. According to the Garden's announcement, new features this year include glowing poppies, an interactive floor and a Spruce and Spirits Bar.
Garden Glow ran opening weekend, then closed November 16 through 19. It reopens Friday, November 20. It is also closed November 26, December 24 and December 25. These nights are on the Garden's November calendar:
- Friday, November 20, 7 to 9:30 p.m.: Jingle and Mingle
- Mondays and Tuesdays, November 23 through December 8: Santa visits
- Monday, November 30, 5 to 9:30 p.m.: Sensory Night
The Winter Sisters visit on Wednesdays, December 2 through 16, and again on December 30. Garden Glow lasts through the holidays and into the new year, well after Frosted's run in the park. Between the two venues, one stretch of Shaw has an evening event for nearly six weeks.
The Rebuild Has Not Reached the Palm House Itself
The work at this corner is not finished. Later phases of the facility work include the Piper Palm House, the Lily Ponds, the shelters and the Music Stand Pavilion.
The glasshouse at the center of the park's December calendar is still waiting for its own restoration.
Restoration like this is close to our own work: a historic structure stays standing, and the new building next to it is designed to support it. If you own an older South City home and want to talk through what to restore and what to update before you list it, The Warner Hall Group is glad to walk through it with you. Request a private consultation.
