EpiCity’s founder, Davis Lee “DL” Stokes’ father taught him what every farmer’s son needed to know in order to survive in the Post-Civil War South. You have to take care of the land. And if you take care of the land, DL learned, the land will take care of you. DL decided to leave farming when he came of age and found other ways to take care of the land and those around him. DL and his wife, Florence started D. L. Stokes & Company, the precursor for EpiCity, to represent mortgage lenders to all types of businesses. They found lenders for people at a time when the economy didn’t have a lot to offer.
After World War II, DL recognized opportunities to build housing, mainly for veterans. For a man who loved progress, there was nothing more exciting than an opportunity. He began to build “cracker box” houses, a type of house architect Charlie Moore calls a “totally solid, well-built rectangular box that fulfilled a huge need in 1950.” Versions of these houses were sold through the Sears & Roebuck catalog. The company continued originating and servicing mortgage loans while developing subdivisions, building homes and apartment communities, and in doing so, DL provided a leg up to the growing middle class of the new South.
In 1949, DL Stokes developed Lindmont and Morosgo apartments on more than forty acres. It was touted as the largest housing community east of the Mississippi and south of the Mason Dixon line. Designed by acclaimed Atlanta architect Henry Jordan, a partner in the venture, these apartment communities, with 504 total units in 85 two story brick and tile buildings, were located at the intersection of Piedmont Road and Lindbergh Drive across Piedmont from what is now the Lindbergh Center MARTA rail station. Derided by many for “building in the middle of the country” north of Atlanta, the gamble paid off and began a great spurt of growth in that area that continues to this day. It’s interesting to note that many of the areas that the company developed in the 1940s and 1950s are many of the same areas that are central to its residential and commercial real estate development now, such as Oakland City, Kirkwood, West End, West Midtown, the Old Fourth Ward, and Hapeville to name a few.
In the 1950s, DL started a fun annual excursion appropriately called the Stokes Special, combining his love for trains and college football. While the main route was from Atlanta to Athens for the University of Georgia versus the Georgia Institute of Technology (Tech) game, other itineraries were occasionally arranged to such places as Birmingham for the Georgia Tech versus Alabama game in 1955. As many as 500 guests, friends and family were a part of this annual tradition, including his entire staff and hired entertainment.
In 1964, DL and Florence’s youngest children, Tom Stokes Sr. and Mona (Stokes) LaVallee, took over the family business, at the time one of Atlanta’s most respected full service real estate services firms. The company offered real estate development and construction services in addition to brokerage, leasing and management, loan origination and servicing and insurance products. But still, they expanded their operation to include investment in income producing assets. Over time they acquired dozens of properties, often in partnership with Larry Hailey of the Hailey Realty Company, a peer in the industry and a great friend to them. While all of the seven Stokes/LaVallee siblings worked in and around the properties early in their lives, it was Tom Stokes, Jr., son of Tom, Sr. and Glenda who first joined the firm in a permanent capacity as property manager. His first day on the job was Monday, October 19, 1987 – the 34th anniversary of DL’s death. It happened also to be Black Monday and the Dow Jones industrial average fell by 508 points and 22.6%. Fortunately, this was not indicative of how the company’s future prospects.
Over time Tom’s cousins, Lynne and Jim, the children of Mona and Ted LaVallee, each joined the firm. All of Florence and DL’s grandchildren and their spouses as well as many grandchildren have worked in the business over time. Today Jim’s daughter Mary Kathryn is a fourth generation staff member. As Director of Project Management, she works primarily with the construction and development team specializing in small commercial and custom home building and design.
In 2014, EpiCity sponsored the adaptive reuse of Armour Junction, a seven-building collection of loft office/industrial space in Buckhead about a mile southwest of the Lindmont/Morosgo apartment site in the heart of Atlanta’s urban affluence and renewal. Armour Junction is an attractive, sought after ‘intown’ community. With the Atlanta Beltline®’s pedestrian and bike-friendly path adjacent to it, the property is a front runner in the move to enhance intermodal access in all urban settings. EpiCity’s offices are at the center of the property both physically and emotionally.
The people who make up EpiCity today trust each other more than you’d expect in a business of any size. They are family to one another, whether literally or not. Several team members have been a part of the operation for thirty plus years. EpiCity continues to invest in Atlanta by taking care of the land as its founders did long ago, still thankful to be right in the center of it all.
For the complete timeline, please visit https://epicity.com/who-we-are/.
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