Frederick Law Olmsted sited the pavilion at the highest point of the park—a glacial moraine deposited during the Ice Age. His bold design reshaped the landscape with winding paths, unusual trees & extensive shrub collections.

Olmsted believed landscape design had restorative powers to promote both mental & physical health. He planned a magnificent, three-story open-air circular pavilion that would offer panoramic views of the park, the city skyline against Lake Ontario to the north and the distant Bristol Hills to the south. The Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge architecture firm was hired to implement his vision. The structure was dedicated September 29, 1890, as the Ellwanger & Barry Memorial Pavilion. It quickly became known as the Children’s Pavilion—the crowning glory of Highland Park.