The original pavilion is located in Tower Grove Park in the city of St. Louis, Missouri. The park was constructed in 1872 by Henry Shaw, a retired merchant who also founded the city’s botanical garden. Shaw was very inspired by the European romantic gardens, and he had architects design 13 pavilions for the park, each featuring a different national style.
The prominent red and white Turkish pavilion originally hosted a gigantic pigeon house until 1892. Since then, the pavilion has seen numerous bridal waltzes as well as other celebrations and events — such as The Friends of the Bad Dog Annual Picnic, hosted by LGBT communities every year.
The pavilion was selected for Superkilen by Inga and Bent who practice line dancing at Ældresagen (Danish Seniors association). Together with the art group SUPERFLEX — part of the Superkilen advisory board — Inga and Bent went on a road trip from St. Antonio in Texas to St. Louis in Missouri, searching for the perfect dance pavilion for the park. Eventually, they picked the Turkish pavilion in Tower Grove Park.
