Clayton (Denver, Colorado)

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Clayton, along with neighboring Skyland, was annexed to Denver under the Session Laws of 1883 and 1889. The acquisition of land for City Park, south of the neighborhood, along with the legacy of the Clayton estate, a trust of $2.5 million, spurred home construction in the surrounding areas. Between 1915 and 1929, a trolley line along 34th Avenue launched the area into the first of two major periods of construction, primarily around the George W. Clayton Home for Boys, now known as Clayton College.

The second major era of construction ran from 1945 to 1959. It was characterized by one story brick homes, similar to the structures built in many of the post-war subdivisions. A number of low-density, multi-family units also were built during this period. The construction of a parkway along East 32nd Avenue between 1948 and 1951 provided a major route to Stapleton International Airport from the central business district.

The Clayton neighborhood was named after its most prominent landmark, the Clayton College. George W. Clayton, one of Denver's early millionaires, after losing his wife and infant child, decided to make a will in 1892 providing a trust for a school "to protect orphan white boys through their tender years in the rough environment of the early west." Clayton died in 1901, and after court battles contesting the will, Clayton College opened in 1911.