Time to groom some heirs

Esley Hamilton, historian for St. Louis County and a longtime preservation advocate, likely will be forced to retire soon because of budget cuts to the county’s parks department, according to a story Wednesday in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Hamilton has been a tireless champion for historic structures in St. Louis, including at least one notable one on Route 66.

According to the newspaper’s report:

Hamilton, 66, has actually been trying to retire for the past year, but his work won’t let go of him. In recent months, he has led efforts to save a historic blacksmith shop in Spanish Lake, a Presbyterian church dating to 1839 in Rock Hill and, unsuccessfully, the Brownhurst Mansion in Kirkwood, built in 1892.

He has yet to step down, mostly for lack of a successor. He said he asked his bosses last year who might replace him. Their answer: no one.

“The stumbling block has been for the past year that if I retire, it will be the end of the position,” Hamilton said. […]

“Nobody in St. Louis can function without that man,” said Jane Gleason, chairwoman of the county’s Historic Buildings Commission. “We’ve all allowed ourselves to lean on him so much that the idea of losing him completely upsets the apple cart.”

And this …

Hamilton has had his disappointments. Chief among them was the 1941 Art Deco-style Coral Court Motel on Watson Road, the old Route 66. In 1995, Hamilton praised it as “one of the foremost examples of streamline modern architecture of the 1930s and 1940s.” But the motel — or no-tell as it was called at the time — had become known for its hourly rates. The complex in the village of Marlborough was demolished to make room for a subdivision.

A few observations from me …

— If St. Louis County doesn’t preserve (no pun intended) Hamilton’s job, at least one official said it may allow him to volunteer up to 20 hours a week. Or the county could find a way to reassign his position so it can keep him on the payroll. The latter option isn’t impossible. The story remains one of the Post-Dispatch’s 10 most-read stories 36 hours after its publication, and the resultant public outcry may persuade St. Louis County to keep him.

— If Hamilton is cut loose, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a preservation group hire him. I have no direct knowledge that this would happen. However, such a group having Hamilton on staff would give it tremendous credibility.

— Finally, it’s apparent from the story that St. Louis preservationists rely heavily on Hamilton. However, because of his age, Hamilton or his future employer had better get a few understudies so they can learn his methods and carry on his work in the future.

As things stand now, the St. Louis preservation community could be rudderless for years if Hamilton dies or his health fails. The situation is akin to historic restaurant’s future existence being threatened because the senior cook holds all the recipes in his brain and won’t / can’t give them to his apprentices. Esley Hamilton needs some preservation-minded heirs.

(On a semi-related note, I sure hope former Pig Hip restaurant owner Ernie Edwards gives his secret sauce recipe to someone before he sheds his mortal coil.)

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.