100 Years of Clayton Business
Meet the Man Who Owned Much of Downtown Clayton
The late Solon Gershman transformed the city's commercial landscape with his real estate firm and mortgage business, each of which has been in operation for more than 55 years, employees who knew him said.
In 1948, Solon Gershman hired about a dozen people and began transforming Clayton's commercial real estate landscape. He bought up properties throughout downtown and built several of his own along Hanley Road. Now, Solon Gershman Inc. manages about 7.5 million square feet of retail, office and industrial space, a significant portion of which is in Clayton. Meanwhile, Gershman Mortgage—founded in 1953—services a portfolio of mortgages valued at more than $1 billion. Be the first to read our next article on Clayton's centennial. Sign up for our morning news blast: clayton-richmondheights.patch.com/newsletters "Solon was one of the best believers in Clayton," said Edward Balk, executive vice president of the commercial real estate company. …
In this Article:
Dan Weinberg
11:03 am on Saturday, August 18, 2012
My father, Max Weinberg, also in commercial real estate in the 50's and 60's, used to talk positively at the dinner table about Solon Gershman, who he described as a 'sometime partner' in St. Louis ventures. My Dad envisioned bringing Brown Shoe Co. to Clayton and arranged for the financing. Dad respected Mr. Gershman a great deal. more ›