Clayton stree sceen, St. Louis
If early residents hadn’t let a virginia gentleman-farmer name their courthouse, Clayton wouldn’t be talking mergers today.
By Jennifer Roberts Wortman Photographs By Theresa Arnold And Jennifer Roberts Wortman
White street signs lettered in forest green. Brick homes, arched doorways, glass-walled high-rises, art galleries, sleek boutiques and fine restaurants. This is Clayton—a city with its own distinct sense of style.
Encircled by Ladue, Richmond Heights, University City and Forest Park, Clayton’s two-and-a-half square miles offer more than the booming commercial district for which it is known. Noting its dense combination of educational, residential, com-mercial, recreational and retail property, Mayor Ben Uchitelle describes the city as a mélange: “Clayton has everything in a very small area, making it easy to access. There aren’t many cities that offer such an inclusive environment.”
Residents cherish the mix. Gary Ferder, originally from Cincinnati, has lived in Clayton since 1974. A student at the time, he first lived in an apartment in the DeMun neighborhood. Ferder likes Clayton for its unique mix of urban and residential life. “It has a great residential area, but the neighborhoods are close enough to downtown to still have an urban feel.” Ferder, like many other residents, also works in Clayton. An attorney at Husch and Eppenberger, he says, “It’s nice to be able to walk to work—even though I don’t always walk.” A former school-board member and Washington University alum, he considers the educational system in Clayton one of the best in the area. “Our property taxes are high,” he concedes, “but our schools are great.” So are the results: 95 percent of Clayton’s graduates attend college.
Clayton’s location has always been key. In 1876, being “a half-day’s ride from the city” made it the chosen location for the displaced St. Louis county courts. At the time, Ralph Clayton and Martin Hanley, two Virginia farmers who relocated to Missouri, owned the land. Ralph Clayton agreed to donate the land under one condition: that the new courthouse bear his name. Clayton’s downtown is now situated on the 104 acres donated by Clayton and Hanley.
Over the next 25 years, the area slowly developed into a small town, but it wasn’t until the 1920s that the population began to burgeon. Residents of the city of St. Louis were migrating west to escape urban crowds, shooting Clayton’s population from 3,000 to more than 7,000 in just five years.
Today, with 81 percent of its land devoted to residential neighborhoods and parks, Clayton emphasizes community—and hospitality. More than 35,000 guests crowded the streets surrounding Shaw Park during this year’s Taste of Clayton, and both the Saint Louis Art Fair and Saint Louis Jazz Festival have become ritual pleasures.
Now a new boundary has been drawn within Clayton: the Triangle, an island bounded by Maryland, Brentwood and Forsyth. Businesses, galleries, boutiques and restaurants on the Triangle are cooperating to draw visitors for monthly shop-and-dine events and regular festivities, starting with a kickoff celebration October 7–9.
Such recent additions as the Finale night-club are also keeping Clayton, which used to fall asleep after rush hour, alive in the evening. This fall, Stray Dog Theater, an established professional acting group, is collaborating with Clayton High School so that students may perform alongside professional actors in the school’s black-box theater.
Clayton’s 27,000-plus parking spots keep it friendly to visitors, but the city will become even more accessible when the much-anticipated MetroLink expansion is completed in spring 2006, with two stops in Clayton.
Now there’s a new possibility: a merger with the nearby Richmond Heights neighborhood. This is prompting 20 Clayton residents and 20 Richmond Heights residents to form a research group that will study, over the next two years, the pros and cons. Their monthly meetings will be open to the public. For more information, see www.mergerstudy.org.
And watch the signs.
