Esley Hamilton sang with the St. Louis Chamber Chorus from 1984 to 1998, and in 1995 wrote A Brief History of the St. Louis Chamber Chorus: ‘Forty Years On.’ He has been preservation historian for the St. Louis County Historic Buildings Commission in the county’s Department of Parks and Recreation since 1977, and his work there can be found in The Historic Inventory of St. Louis County Buildings. He also teaches historic preservation at Washington University and edits the newsletter of the St. Louis Chapter of the Society of Architectural Historians. Other publications with which he has been involved include The Way We Came: A Century of the AIA in St. Louis and The Past In Our Presence: Historic Buildings in St. Louis County. In May 2009, Esley’s pioneering work was recognized by the University of Missouri — St. Louis when he was awarded an honorary doctorate.

The historical and architectural commentaries on the buildings in our Concert Venues section were written by Esley Hamilton with minor adaptations.