The Southwest Garden neighborhood borders two internationally known St.
Louis landmarks, the Missouri Botanical Garden, founded in 1859, and
Tower Grove Park, established in 1868. The land for both the garden and
the park was donated by their founder, Henry Shaw, a botanist and
philanthropist. Both destinations are designated as national historic
landmarks--the garden is one of the oldest in the United States, and the
park shares the honor of being on the National Register of Historic
Places with only three other municipal parks in the nation. The
botanical garden is the best place to start a historical walking tour of
the Southwest Garden neighborhood.