Isadore the Icon: A Decent Man

by John S. Gaal

Isadore Erwin Millstone (commonly known to St. Louisans as I.E. Millstone) granted this author an interview in 2005 that was first published in the September 2005 issue of CNR. We share the interview again as a tribute to this man who contributed so much to our industry and area.

JSG: How soon after graduating from Washington University did you begin working in the fields of architecture and construction?

IEM: Soon after graduation, I began working for Mississippi Valley Structural Steel. I worked there until the end of 1927. The reason I left is that I had a desire to do something beyond detailing steel. At that time, the City of St. Louis approved a multi-million dollar bond issue for the construction of civic buildings and sewers. Having knowledge that I was a recent graduate with reinforced concrete experience, the City of St. Louis hired me.  Mr. Horner was then head of the department of Streets and Sewers and later founded Horner and Shifrin Consulting Engineers.


IEM: While working to improve the quality of concrete for the City of St. Louis, I met Albert Perbal, a French engineer whose specialty was reinforced concrete design.   We eventually left our positions to begin our own consulting firm. At this time, many architectural firms did not have in-house engineers with our area of expertise. For awhile, things were going well and then came the Depression. As with most people during this era, we lost everything we had invested in the stock market. Eventually, Mr. Perbal sent his family back to France to live with relatives while he went on to patent many of his inventions not related to the construction industry. Meanwhile, I decided to start my own firm. Interestingly enough, in my eyes, the Depression allowed everyone to start from scratch. In my opinion, it created new opportunities for all sectors of the economy.


JSG: What / Who assisted you in becoming a successful businessman?

IEM: From a company standpoint, between 1929 and 1946 my firm 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. However, by 1936, my firm was awarded the first federal contract for public housing in the United States in St. Petersburg, FL. We built St. Louis’ Clinton-Peabody housing project in 1939 using reinforced concrete. During this timeframe, 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. Equally important, I also give a lot of credit to my field supervision of which many were union carpenters. What impressed me is that these men were well-educated and willing to continue their learning. For many years, our college grads would work under our carpenter superintendents before moving into supervisory positions.

From a personal standpoint, besides a lot of luck, 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 (WWII), 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 so successful that by the end of WWII we were able to set-up the Millstone Foundation: a charitable foundation for assisting St. Louis institutions.  The foundation is still active today and my grandsons, Robert Millstone and Thom Kuhn, are officers of the foundation.

 JSG: What role did your firm play in building the current Busch Stadium?

IEM: Millstone Construction Co. entered a joint venture with Fruin-Colnon to build the stadium. The contract for the stadium and east garage totaled $21 million. This project was unique from a design standpoint: poured-in-place reinforced post tensioned concrete. I give a lot of the credit for the design of the stadium to Sverdrup. To my knowledge, it may be the only structure of its kind. As you can imagine, I am somewhat disappointed to see it go!

JSG: How do you feel about the new Busch Stadium complex?

IEM: Well, 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.


JSG: What inspired you to become a philanthropist?

IEM: I always felt privileged to live in the USA. (In fact, I lost several family members due to Hitler’s reign.) Life was simple when I was growing up. I remember children of all kinds playing in the streets together. As a Jew, I was never discriminated against. I had and still have a wonderful family. Although I enjoyed traveling and playing golf, as I prospered, I did not feel a need to have too much money or too many material things. Therefore, I wanted to see that others could enjoy life. I made sure all of my children, grandchildren, and many of my relatives received good educations. In fact, our foundation still funds numerous college scholarships…I believe in helping others succeed and many of our employees have gone on to do so. In addition, with families facing so many issues today, we have provided assistance to many community centers in St. Louis and around the globe.


JSG: From a global competition viewpoint, what predictions would you make about the future of the construction industry?

IEM: Closer to home, I see the city making a comeback despite the issue of urban sprawl people are returning. For St. Louis to survive, we need to focus on high-wages jobs and to me that means life sciences. We must avoid destroying our tax base if we are to improve our public school systems. The one thing we must remember is that you cannot give away your income without going bankrupt.

From a global standpoint, nowadays, telecommunication technologies allow work to be done nearly anywhere around the globe. Consequently, in today’s world most firms are international! With China now taking over US industries, we can no longer view countries like China and India as backwards. I often look at the list of PhD graduates in science and engineering from Washington University and notice that many of the students are foreign-born. To this end, I am a firm believer that more of our families need to support first-class educational systems for our children!


IEM: With this in mind, I would like to ask you about your views concerning the turmoil the AFL-CIO now faces?

JSG: In my opinion, a number of unions are starting to realize that in order to retain and gain membership, their organizations must start acting like businesses instead of relying on decades-old practices that are no longer relevant in the 21st Century. It seems to me that the Change to Win Coalition is following a similar strategy implemented by the United Brotherhood of Carpenters in March of 2001. In other words, unions need to view management as partners…not the enemy!


JSG: With all due respect, in one sentence, how do you wish to be remembered?

IEM: As a decent person!


Dr. John S. Gaal is the Director of Training & Workforce Development for the Carpenters’ District Council of Greater St. Louis & Vicinity. He can be reached at . The original interview took place in Clayton, MO.

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