It was built in 1907 for a now-abandoned nine-hole golf course known as Norfolk Downs, to design by New York City architect Alfredo S.G. Taylor.

The structure is a single story in height, with a central octagonal section flanked by uncovered rectangular wings.

Access to the shelter is via wide steps facing east on the southern flanking terrace.

[3] The Eldridge sisters objected to the use of the facility on Sundays (the Sabbath), which prompted other citizens to form the adjacent (and private) Norfolk Country Club.

The surviving pavilion is seen as an architectural predecessor to the Tamarack Lodge Bungalow, another Taylor work in Norfolk.