A Look at Parkview Properties

By Lana Stein

May 1, 1995

Parkview Properties owns many of the multifamily buildings in the Skinker DeBaliviere area. The company is a partnership of two couples: Steve and Lecil Sailer and Alan and Kathleen Hamilton. The Sailers began buying property in our neighborhood in 1971 and the Hamiltons in 1975. They formed their partnership in 1977. The foursome have known each other all their lives. They are Parkview residents. The Sallers moved in in 1966. Alan Hamilton's father and grandparents had lived in Skinker DeBaliviere and his mother grew up on Nina Pl. Their children all went to St. Roch's.

Steve Sailer had been involved in West End Townhouses. Phil Lucier started this program in conjunction with Washington University, St. Roch, and the Skinker DeBaliviere Community Council. Because of deteriorating conditions, this group wished to buy multifamily housing in the neighborhood. The Council focused more on single familys while West End Townhouse concentrated on apartment buildings. Lucier died tragically in 1971 and West End Townhouse ran out of capital.

The Sailers and Hamiltons like to think of themselves as continuing the work of West End Townhouse. In 1977, the year they formed their partnership, they acquired the apartment building on Skinker at McPherson where their offices are now. They acquired property gradually and now own 31 buildings in the area.

Parkview Properties does not gut and rehab buildings. Rather, they fix them up to rent as pleasing apartments. They pride themselves on their maintenance. They have become a Washington University graduate school resource. This has not occurred in a formal way but they do principally rent to Washington University graduate students, upperclassmen, and faculty. They are the largest provider of off-campus housing to the Washington University community.

In the past year, Parkview Properties acquired the West Side properties in Skinker DeBaliviere. These consisted of nine buildings, originally developed by Mead McClellan. The Technical Assistance Corporation had acquired title to the properties and with help from SDCC, the Housing Corporation, and Alderman McGuire, Parkview Properties in turn acquired it from them. They have spent a great deal of effort on the deferred maintenance at these buildings.

Lecil Sailer emphasized that Parkview Properties really offers a broad range of housing–from efficiencies to units with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. In addition to students, they rent to a lot of couples and small families.

Washington University students frequently tell them that they like living in the Skinker DeBaliviere neighborhood even if they don't participate in neighborhood activities. They appear pleased with the mixture of families and students.

Aside from properties in Skinker DeBaliviere, the partnership owns 3 buildings in Tower Grove East, 1 building in University City (Ames Place), and a building in DeMun.

In September 1993, Alan Hamilton spearheaded the formation of the Skinker DeBaliviere Apartment Owners Association. The original idea was to help landlords and share management secrets. This has worked fairly successfully. The Association is now focusing on problem buildings in the neighborhood in conjunction with the Housing Corporation. Hamilton, the president of the association, wants to keep pushing the ball ahead to solve some of the problems and they review properties every month. The Association is now lending support to efforts to improve the look and marketing of the neighborhood. He feels that ornamental entrance markers will give Skinker DeBaliviere more identity as well a unifying landscaping plan.

Lecil Sailer and Alan Hamilton spoke of their commitment to the Skinker DeBaliviere neighborhood. Hamilton said that he "really thinks we're providing a tremendous help and value in the neighborhood" by providing a lot of stability in many different buildings. They are part of the neighborhood and are not outside absentee landlords. It often amazes me at conventions when Washington University graduates tell me of having lived in our neighborhood as students. These political scientists carry fond memories and no doubt lived at part of the Parkview Properties inventory.