I had a picture of this a while ago in the daytime, It's much more interesting at night, with the lights within the cut-out metal tower, the patterns on the pavement and the red light inside the mausoleum of Henry Shaw. He was the rich 19th Century businessman and amateur botanist who founded the Missouri Botanical Garden and adjacent Tower Grove Park.
A last image (for now) from the HYBYCOZO exhibit at the Missouri Botanical Garden. The caption is the name of this piece. The building on the left is the mausoleum of Henry Shaw, the 19th Century philanthropist who founded the place.
Tomorrow is City Daily Photo's monthly theme day, on the subject of travel. I'll be posting what I think is the best photo of my career.
The land that became the Missouri Botanical Garden was originally the estate of Henry Shaw. He was the son of a steel manufacturer in the British Midlands and was sent here in the 19th Century as an agent. He settled in St. Louis and made a fortune, using some of his money on his hobby as a keen amateur botanist. He built an octagonal tower, an observatory, to view his domain. This building is a reproduction but faithful to the original design.
Yesterday's post mentioned Henry Shaw, the wealthy 19th Century businessman and philanthropist who founded the botanical garden and adjacent large city park. He built a grand home on the grounds, which has been restored and is open to visitors. Amazing light displays are projected onto it during Garden Glow. They change and move to music, with new versions every year.
Not in the astronomical sense we usually think of. The Missouri Botanical Garden, founded in 1859, and adjacent Tower Grove Park are part of the legacy of businessman and philanthropist Henry Shaw. The story is that Shaw built this structure to survey his estate. Unfortunately, the Garden doesn't let visitors to climb to the top.
Our botanical garden was founded in 1859 by a native Englishman, Henry Shaw, a very successful businessman and amateur horticulturalist who made St. Louis his home. Locals still often refer to the place as Shaw's Garden. His home and adjacent private garden have been preserved and restored. I do not know why he chose to place a statue of Juno in the middle of it, but she can do the Windsor Wave with the best of the royals.
I mentioned Henry Shaw in yesterday's post, the founder of our botanical garden and the adjacent Tower Grove city park. During Garden Glow, visitors are invited inside to see the 19th Century architecture and decoration in Christmas themes. Light projections on the outside change every year and I still don't know how it's done. Trippy, as we used to say.
Our botanical garden has an interesting history. It was established by an immigrant from Sheffield, England, Henry Shaw, whose family was in the metalwork and cutlery business the city is known for. He set up shop here and did quite well, retiring at 40. Shaw established an estate on land that was then in the countryside. In time, he bequeathed it for what became the garden and adjacent Tower Grove Park. The land was flat to gently rolling. Shaw could climb to the deck on this little building and view all of his estate.
As every year, pictures of the light projections on the 19th Century home of Henry Shaw, founder of the Missouri Botanical Garden. They are quite remarkable and ever changing. The projections don't even get on the neighboring trees. May have a bit more of this.
Travel day today as we head out to see our Michigan division for the Thanksgiving holiday.. Chicago tonight and Clare, in the middle of the state, tomorrow. Been a while since we've seen Audrey, 5, and Atlas, who is close to 3.
Henry Shaw's tomb in the botanical gardens he founded. It has a certain quiet eloquence, not maudlin, not overblown. Thanks to my better set of eyes, Mrs. C, who spotted this while I was gaping at bright LED lights down the path.
I loved music as a child and was fortunate that my mother did as well. In the late 50s or early 60s, our family had a record player in our apartment, a big console that had a turntable for LP vinyl albums. She had some classical music albums that I would play over and over, not the least The Nutcracker. I was transfixed by the mixture of celesta and woodwinds in the Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy, https://youtu.be/UYaIQNjAX_8, and swept away by the Waltz of the Flowers, https://youtu.be/LKcZL8q1eBw.These are some of my happiest memories from childhood.
Now the botanical garden recreates a bit of it with light projections on Henry Shaw's mansion. The son et lumière show is remarkable. It's tricky, though. Note how the Nutcracker's green staff is offset near the top by a cornice of the building.
Henry Shaw, who founded what was to become the Missouri Botanical Garden and adjacent Tower Grove Park, built this odd structure near his grand home. It seems to have no function other than as a watchtower - you may just be able to see the spiral staircase inside the center door. The land isn't very hilly and, of course, there were no high rises, so he and his guests could survey the entire domain.
Surrounding features were developed as the garden grew. There is now a difficult hedgerow maze just to the left.
I really need some new material. The family was all supposed to go to Garden Glow tonight but the forecast is for about 45F / 7C with rain all day and evening. We will probbly go another time. As for now, what does St. Louis look like when it's cold and wet? Maybe I'll go find out.
So, for now, another view of Henry Shaw's house in the botanical garden with a mother and daughter taking in the scene.
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Locals often refer to the Missouri Botanical Garden as Shaw's Garden. Henry Shaw was a 19th Century rich guy with vision and an interest in plants, His estate provided the cash and land for today's garden, its extensive research program and adjacent Tower Grove Park (our loveliest, IMHO).
This building was his home. It didn't have dancing ballerinas in silhouette in the late 19th Century. Today there is a son et lumiere show on special occasions. You can guess that The Nutcracker was going on here. Tchaikovsky and Shaw were rough contemporaries, although Shaw lived far longer. The water and air must have been better in St. Louis than Moscow. Still, you can almost hear the flutes and celesta over the bassoons and low clarinets as you look at the image.
