Tower Grove Park director John Karel has overseen the transformation of the city’s second-largest park from neglect to restored 19th-century splendor. After 27 years on the job, Karel, who retires this month, offers some perspective on the South City oasis.
During your time, the park was reborn. You have to be encouraged by the revitalization of the capital assets—the Palm House, the Music Stand, the Pool Pavilion, the Plant House, the bridges, the entrances. They had become rundown and been under-maintained for many decades. One of our big priorities was to find a way to bring the unique capital assets back up to good condition. With help from the city and donors and friends, that has happened.
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How were you able to revitalize the park? In the early days, I found a lot of people who had an intense passion for Tower Grove Park, but we had a hard time finding people who thought it was possible to save it. It looked too big and difficult. It had no political clout. We started doing one thing at a time, and we built upon each effort. We started to get some recognition, and we began to have some credibility. Pretty soon, momentum was working for us.
What makes Tower Grove Park so special? The integrity of the landscape is pointed to as the signature character of this park. This represents the survival of a 19th-century park landscape, and that’s unique in the country. The park was given to the city by Henry Shaw in 1868. We also have the largest collection of 19th-century recreational pavilions in any one park in the U.S. We have 11 of them; many parks would be thrilled to have one. We have more than 100 structures total in the park, including stables and houses. We understand we’re a part of a galaxy of wonderful parks in the metro area, but you can’t quite get what we offer anywhere else.
What about the flora and fauna? The trees and their care, and the spacing and rediversifying of the flora collection, make the park much closer to what Henry Shaw envisioned originally. The trees had gotten somewhat overgrown, but now, that situation has improved greatly, with the help of a lot of very generous people. We have a surprisingly diverse array of wildlife. We have more than 200 species of birds, and we’ve been named an IBA, an Important Bird Area, as designated by the National Audubon Society. We have squirrels, rabbits, voles, raccoons, foxes, and very occasionally a coyote. In the ponds, we have frogs, toads, several species of turtles, and fish. We also have several species of bats that live in hollow trees. Those are very helpful in controlling the insects.
The park is now home to various popular events, too. Festival of Nations and the Tower Grove Farmers’ Market are events we’ve welcomed and nurtured. Food Truck Friday by Sauce Magazine is fairly new. We have concerts, reunions, parties… I’m proud of the fact that with rehearsal dinners, receptions, and weddings, we have more wedding events here probably than any other single venue in the area.
What has been most satisfying? The rekindling of public enjoyment and appreciation for the park. We’ve gone from less than 500,000 visitors a year in ’87 to more than 2.5 million visitors a year today. It’s a safe, clean, beautiful space for people in an urban environment. I’ve had many people tell us they were thinking of moving, but the park turned around, so they decided to stay. Churches, schools, institutions, and businesses in this area are all working together in productive and creative ways. I know the park has been a big player in that. It’s a cool part of town.
