Budget Cuts Threaten Job of Prominent County Preservation Historian

On Sunday, University City resident Esley Hamilton was leading tours .

It was his day off, but Hamilton always has time for his passion—dishing on the architectural history of St. Louis. Hamilton is a preservation historian for the St. Louis County Department of Parks and Recreation.

Hamilton has built a reputation as a champion of St. Louis' architectural past. Now, his work may come to an abrupt end. Hamilton said his position with the county is being eliminated. He told the St. Louis Post Dispatch that he was told to retire.

The parks department took a heavy hit in the St. Louis County 2012 Recommended Budget.

Hamilton said he was hired in 1977, and has been full time since 1992. He's won numerous awards from the governor and municipalities such as University City, Webster Groves, Overland and Creve Coeur.

"It's because people value people standing up for our heritage," he said of his many accolades.

"One of the things that concerns me about this...is that people are saying, 'I'm not replaceable.' I've gotten a lot of awards. But the awards are for doing this job, and other people can do this job," Hamilton said. "The awards reflect how much people value it."

Hamilton said his job entails talking to about 70 different groups a year—more than one a week. He also gives tours and writes articles about local history. He also works with local historical societies and preservation commission and citizens who call up and have questions.

Hamilton said he has researched about 6,000 buildings throughout the years and listed many on the national registry of historic places.

"I think that the work that we do is work that people value," he said.

He said that by eliminating his position completely, all the research his office has done throughout the last 50 years would go to the state historical society, and no longer be available through the county.

When asked if he'll retire, Hamilton said, "Yeah, I don't have any choice."

receiving the 2011 Webster Groves Lifetime Achievement in the Arts Award. The award, normally given to a Webster Groves resident, was given to Hamilton for his work in preserving the historical legacy of the city.

“Each year, the Webster Groves Arts Commission reviews a list of prominent artists in all forms: visual, performance, literary, etc,” said Don Drissell, commission chairman. “But the commission determined this year that the building arts should be celebrated as well.”

Drissell said Hamilton has been an instrumental part in preserving the historic value of architecture in Webster Groves. Drissell said Hamilton helped enter several Webster Groves structures into the National Register of Historic Places. The entries include buildings such as the , the original Webster College and the Marshall Place Historic District.

In his free time, Hamilton also gives walking tours of historic buildings throughout the city, educating others of the value of having buildings of historic significance.

“He has done so much for this city, we thought we really should recognize him,” Drissell said. “Historical architecture is a lost art form, but Hamilton has helped educate others about the importance of it in our city.”