Historical February 1995 article. Dates, prices, services and contacts describe the source period; current availability has not been established.
On December 14, 1994, Central West End Bank, located at 415 DeBaliviere, elected Kathleen O’Connell Hamilton as President and Chief Executive Officer. Hamilton was a founder of the bank and had most recently served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.
She is now the only female chief executive of an independent bank in the St. Louis metropolitan area. Kathleen Hamilton is a long time resident of our neighborhood, moving here when she was 11 years old.
She has lived in 4 houses on 4 blocks in Parkview and, with her husband Alan, rehabbed three of those homes. Ten years ago, her entire family lived in Parkview.
When she moved to a home on Westminster inside the city limits in the early 70s, her attention turned eastward.
Her focus became the city during some very challenging days.
She sold real estate during this period and was very frustrated because buyers in our neighborhood couldn’t get enough loans.
On March 19, 1976, Hamilton met Tom Scatizzi at a party. Together they decided that the neighborhood needed its own savings and loan. Along with 8 other friends and neighbors, they created Central West End.
It received the first new charter of a savings and loan in the city of St. Louis in 25 years when it opened in 1979. Scatizzi became the first president of Central West End and Hamilton was a founding board member. Scatizzi is stepping down now to pursue a medical career. Hamilton’s husband Alan is chair of the Skinker DeBaliviere Apartment Owners Association and heads Forest Park Investment Corporation.
They have 3 children: Danny attends Tulane Law School, Holly is a junior at Southem Illinois university-Carbondale, and Andrew is a 10th grader. Hamilton has been active in her community in a number of different ways for a long time.
She is a founding member of the West End Arts Council.
She was chair of the old Arts and Humanities Committee. of the city and then was appointed to the board of the Regional Arts Commission.
In fact, Central West End Bank served as an art gallery in its early years as a way of attracting people back to DeBaliviere.
They featured weaving, textiles, and watercolors. Hamilton would love to do something like that again.
She said that art has a real energy. Hamilton looks forward to continuing serving our neighborhood in her new position. “Parkview and Skinker DeBaliviere are old-fashioned, comfortable, family-oriented neighborhoods.” Central West End Bank, independent and neighborhood-based, has tried to preserve these qualities and Hamilton sees that as an important part of her new role. Hamilton also was a member of the board of the Skinker DeBaliviere Community Council for a number of years and served as its treasurer.
In addition, she was a board member of the Central West End Association and a member of the Central West End Charitable Trust. Being a part of both associations enabled her to get a “whole view of the west end.” She also continues to be an active member of St. Roch’s.
Original photograph caption
Kathleen Hamilton. Photographer not credited.
Originally published in The Times of Skinker-DeBaliviere, February 1995.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times1995_02.pdf, printed page(s) 1; PDF page(s) 1.
