Lafayette Park: Oldest Urban Park West of the Mississippi

Surrounded by Victorian houses, Lafayette Park is where vintage baseball teams play in summer and where you can stroll through a rock garden grotto.

Land for the thirty-acre park was set aside in 1836 and dedicated in the City of St. Louis as the first public park in 1851.

The Walk In Lafayette Park

I entered the park by the Old Police Station/Park House near the corner of Lafayette Avenue and Mississippi Avenue. Built in 1867 and used by the police when the park attracted large crowds for concerts. Converted to a groundskeeper’s house in 1919. It fell into disrepair for years until restored and now used for small events.

Washington Statue

I headed towards the bronze George Washington statue erected in 1869 in the park. It is a replica of the marble George Washington statue done by French sculptor Jean-Antoine Houdon, which is in the rotunda in the Virginia State Capitol. This statue is one of the most accurate of Washington with measurements based on his life mask.

Thomas Hart Benton Statue

Next, I walked by the ten-foot-tall bronze statue of one of the first Missouri senators, Thomas Hart Benton. Unveiled in 1868 with a crowd of about 40,000 people onhand. A unique statue in that Benton is wearing a Roman toga different from his usual attire of a black suit and white shirt.

Benton advocated for a transcontinental railway and in a speech in which he said, “There is the East. There is India,” written on the pedestal.

The sculptress was Harriet Hosmer who was the first woman admitted to what became the Washington Unversity School of Medicine and is also known as the first female professional sculptor.

Bandstand

In between the statues are the remains of the Lafayette Park Music Pavilion. In 1876, over 8,000 people came out to inaugurate the bandstand, and over the next 20 years, it was the center of many concerts.

On May 27, 1896, a tornado that damaged the area took down the ornate top of the bandstand and it was never rebuilt.

Two Nearby Sites in the Park

Walking towards Missouri Avenue from the bandstand I head through a sunken garden area filled with greenery and flowers during the spring and summer.

baseball field in the park — Baseball field in the park

Next, I go by a large field used for vintage baseball. In summer the Saint Louis Perfectos and the Lafayette Square Cyclones play by the rules and customs of the 1860s.

Cannons

Near the park’s pavilion are three cannons from the British ship, HMS Acteon, sunk in 1776 during the Revolutionary War Battle at Sullivan’s Island. Raised in 1887, the cannons were then sold at auction and bought for the park, and placed here in 1897.

I’ve had my son stand next to them like he was shooting them off when he was a toddler.

Lafayette Park Lake

Behind the park’s pavilion is Lafayette Park Lake. Stocked with carp, catfish, and sunfish.

Swan house surrounded by geese and ducks.

A small island in the middle includes a swan house, which is a replica of an 1880s one. On the lake, I saw Canadian geese and ducks swimming about.

Lafayette Park Playground

A large playground is to the right of the pavilion. My son has played here before on the slides and swings quite a few times.

By here are frog and turtle statues created by Bob Cassilly, well-known for his sculptures seen throughout St. Louis and in creating the City Museum.

Grotto

A Chinese Pagoda stands above the grotto.

I look up at it as I walk across the 1859 footbridge with its black decorative metal railings and ornamental urns at each end.

Then I walk below to the pond. Here were two white swans swimming around.

Along the path are igneous or lava rocks that border the pond that adds the feel of a grotto.

Different paths converge into the grotto.

This area has different paths that go down to the lagoon. When my son was little he loved going up and down through these paths.

Declaring love on a bench in the grotto.

I headed out of the park. The original iron and stone fence erected in 1869 still encircle the park’s perimeter. Walking the sidewalk around the park is another way to enjoy the area.

Walk Around the Outside of the Park

I grabbed a coffee at Park Avenue Coffee and began a walk along the perimeter of the park along the sidewalk that goes all around it.

I admire the painted ladies, the different color painted Victorian homes that bordered the park. Salmon and turquoise paint on one house or lime green and purple facades on another and ornate moldings painted light blue on yet another. Better Homes and Gardens recognized the neighborhood as one of the nation’s 12 prettiest painted places in the U.S.

Along this way, I always love the tall Queen Anne house on Missouri Avenue imagining myself looking out the tower’s window at the park below.

Stone churches and red brick buildings stood across the street intermingled among the houses. I pass by large trees that hung over the wrought iron fence before heading back to my car.

PARK FACTS

Naming the Park

Marquis de Lafayette -- portrait by Joseph-Désiré Court — Marquis de Lafayette — Portrait by Joseph-Désiré Court

The park’s name is in honor of Marquis de Lafayette, a French statesman who served under General George Washington during the Revolutionary War. He visited St. Louis on his tour of America from 1824-25. You can learn more about Lafayette if you watch the popular musical Hamilton.

Short History of Lafayette Park

Before becoming a park, the land once served as a common pasture for village livestock in the late 1700s.

The area around the park called Lafayette Square was a fashionable place to live in the 19th century. Many prominent St. Louisans built their expensive houses around the park.

Then the Great Depression hit the area hard and it fell out of fashion with the rise of new freeways crisscrossing nearby.

In the 1970s urban pioneers refurbished the homes and the park was restored.

Now the area is the crown jewel in the city of St. Louis with restaurants, coffeehouses, an ice cream parlor, and art galleries nearby.

Lunch Break

Lunch takeout was from Mayo Ketchup at 2001 Park Avenue which has Puerto Rican, Cuban and Dominican offerings. I had their shredded beef arepa, stuffed with beef and filled me up. Leaving most of the appetizer of Queso Fritos, fried Caribbean cheese with guava sauce, for David and my son Andrew. Grabbed a coffee at Park Avenue Coffee at 1919 Park Avenue as my last stop.

This column fountain is found along Park Avenue near the park where restaurants and shops can be found.

DETAILS

Drive: The easiest way to go to the park is to go north from Jefferson Avenue from Interstate 44 at exit 289 and make a right onto Lafayette Avenue. Or Interstate 64 at Exit 38 and take Jefferson Avenue south but be warned there is a lot of construction in this area. Then a left onto Park Avenue.

Hours: 6 am – 10 pm

Address: 2023 Lafayette Ave, St. Louis, MO 63104