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Winter 06
May 04, 2007
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?Everybody interviews me,? quipped Isadore Erwin (I.E.) Millstone. ?Nobody?s living anymore. It?s great for me because I can deny it.?
One thing the 99-year-old developer can not deny is the incredible influence he and his family have had on the St. Charles and St. Louis landscapes during the last century.
Millstone?s life has spanned 18 U.S. presidential terms. He has lived through the industrial and the computer revolutions of the 20th century, the advent of the automobile and the airplane and personally overseen hundreds of pieces of infrastructure come to life throughout the St. Louis Metropolitan area and in many other parts of the world.
?Life was very simple then. Right after the 1904 World?s Fair, my father moved us from Adelaide Ave. to Kingshighway, which was a dirt street at the time,? Millstone said. ?We walked or went on the street car. We had a horse and buggy.?
After graduating from Soldan High School in 1923, Millstone entered Washington University. At a tuition rate of $200 per year, money earned worked as a lifeguard during the summer, Millstone studied architecture and engineering. He was ?fascinated? by a new material called reinforced concrete. After attending school six days a week from
8 a.m. to 4 p.m., he graduated in 1927.
In 1929, Millstone partnered with Albert Perbal as consulting engineers specializing
in the design of reinforced concrete structure. This design-only partnership was a predecessor of Millstone Construction, Inc. Following the stock market crash, there
was little demand for engineers to design new buildings. ?You could buy existing, almost new buildings, for 10 to 20 percent of the original cost and financing was non-existent,? Millstone said.
Since small construction jobs were available, though extremely competitive, the young engineer started Millstone Construction Company. Most of the larger construction companies that prospered during the boom of the 1920s went out of business. Millstone said the survivors of this era form the nucleus of the construction industry as it exists in
St. Louis today.
Millstone Construction Co. built most of the public housing projects including Pruitt Igoe and Laclede Town in St. Louis along with other housing projects in Florida, Alabama and other states as well.
After WWII, the company expanded into major paving projects and airports. The Millstone paved most of the runways at Lambert Field and in the 1960s, built the first Busch Stadium and Mercantile Tower.
When Millstone started his career, many of the streets in St. Louis were made of brick
or cobblestone. Most buildings had been designed with steel or wood framing and many foundations were constructed of rubble stone. He credits most of his success and much of the construction of the St. Louis we know today to the newest product of
the time?reinforced concrete. ?You must remember, at that time, reinforced concrete was a brand new item,? Millstone said.
?Buildings only went up five stories because the floors rested on walls. When we had
reinforced concrete columns and slabs we could start building high rise buildings. We were permitted to build the Kiel Auditorium. We started to build alleys, streets and sewers.?
And Millstone continued building, ?We?ve built half of 90 percent of the bridges and highways in this area,? he said.
After WWII, Millstone constructed major warehouses for General Grocer, Wetterau, General Electric, Westinghouse Electric, Stix Baer & Fuller, American Air Filter, Diamond Match, Prince Gardner, Cahokia Flour and many others. Millstone Construction was the first to construct major, regional shopping centers with large parking areas including Crestwood Plaza and Northwest Plaza.
In a joint venture with Fruin-Collins, Millstone won the $21 million contract
to build the original Busch Stadium. ?This project was unique from a design standpoint, poured-in-place reinforced post tensioned concrete,? he said. ?The original Busch Stadium was built for another era, one that required a dual-use facility. I feel that today?s design better accommodates its sole purpose?baseball. After all, from a business perspective, the object is to earn more money. Among other issues, the new seating arrangements allow for the owners to accomplish this objective.?
From 1929 to 1936 Millstone opened a number of offices outside the St. Louis area.
?Our first year, our volume was $34,000. As you can see, we were small which made it difficult to get bonding,? Millstone said.
But by 1936, Millstone was awarded the first federal contract for public housing in the United States in St. Petersburg, Florida.
?We built St. Louis? Clinton-Peabody housing project in 1939 using reinforced concrete During this time-frame, companies wanted to invest in growth, not bricks and mortar. Eventually, we designed, built and leased buildings to GE, Emerson, Famous-Barr
and many others. As we built, I bought stock in many of my customers? firms.?
From a personal standpoint, ?besides a lot of luck,? Millstone said, ?I believe my willingness to work hard and my ability to visualize the future were keys to my success. In the early days, many firms needed to be located near railways, so, I bought land along these routes. Eventually, companies wishing to expand would come to me not only to purchase the land but to design and build their buildings. My sixth sense really paid off
after World War II, with regards to the combination of pent-up demand and the growth in the use of automobiles. Land became a precious commodity to many of my customers? businesses since parking now became a significant design issue.?
This strategy was successful, so at the end of WWII Millstone set up the Millstone Foundation?a charitable foundation assisting St. Louis institutions. The foundation is still active today.
Robert said the lessons learned from his grandfather are both countless and inestimable. ?I find it difficult to articulate the lessons I have learned from my grandfather because his
guidance has shaped my perspective in nearly every way,? he said. ?His incredible success and positive impact is based on a true concern for every individual. He understands what motivates people. Whether it comes to civic, business or family matters, he combines his concern and understanding to do what is right for the particular circumstances at hand. He has also surrounded himself with the best people and demonstrated his trust in them by delegating them complete authority. I
am fortunate to be able to continue to learn from him, since we share an office together, and I discuss everything with him. He is an invaluable advisor.?
Millstone Bangert is responsible for a significant portion of the construction of Highway 370, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this month. Millstone Bangert, Inc. donated 150 acres of land to the city of St. Charles for a recreational park. I.E. said the donation was a way for him to give back to the community.
?Millstone Bangert is not only concerned with preserving the environment, but also giving back to the community. That?s why we?ve not only donated the acreage, but we also utilized a $20 million TIF for the park,? he said.
Millstone Bangert also invested some $40 million, in addition to the TIF granted
from the city of St. Charles, toward the purchase of 500 acres at Highway 370
and Elm Street to develop Fountain Lakes Industrial Park. The company allocated the entire TIF plus an additional $10 million for removing waste material and providing the 150-acre park to be turned over to the city of St. Charles upon completion. The park will be a model nature preserve with recreational facilities, wetland sanctuaries, paved trails, parking, restrooms and more.
I.E. said that what has ensure the continuity and prosperity of Millstone for well over 75 years has been the willingness of the company to adapt to changing times and conditions, and to seek new areas of construction work. Millstone will celebrate his 100th birthday
on January 6, 2007.
ROBIN SEATON JEFFERSON
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