Clayton, Missouri

The architecture of central Clayton reflects its economic activity and eras of growth. An impressive collection of mid-century modern low and high rise structures contrast with earlier mansions, stores and flats. Its surrounding residential neighborhoods maintain a dense, walkable character and were largely developed in the prewar era. These neighborhoods consist of brick walkups, apartment buildings, mansions and modest single family homes centered around several small business districts.

View of Clayton skyline in 2018

Claverach Park is a residential neighborhood bounded by Wydown Boulevard on the north, Ridgemoor Drive and Big Bend Boulevard on the east, Clayton Road on the south, and Audubon Drive on the west. The neighborhood was planned in the early 1920s by Julius Pitzman who avoided a traditional street grid in favor of curvilinear streets lined by stately trees, one centrally located neighborhood park, and 9 pocket parks.[6] Oak Knoll Park, Clayton's second largest park and the former home to the St. Louis Academy of Science, is located in the neighborhood.

Clayshire is a suburban neighborhood bounded by Forest Park Parkway on the north, Interstate 170 on the east, Clayton Road on the south and the Ladue city limit to the west and includes the subdivision of Tanglewood. Unlike Clayton's denser prewar residential neighborhoods, Clayshire is characterized by a more postwar suburban development pattern. Neighborhood parks include Anderson Park, Clayshire Park, and Whitburn Park as well as a pedestrian underpass beneath I-170 that connects to Shaw Park. There is a small commercial area at the intersection of Clayton Road and Brentwood Boulevard.

Central Presbyterian Church in the Davis Place neighborhood

A large residential neighborhood, Davis Place is characterized primarily by single family homes with some apartment buildings along Hanley Road and Brentwood Boulevard. Its boundaries are Forest Park Parkway on the north, Hanley Road on the east, Clayton Road on the south, and Brentwood Boulevard on the west. The neighborhood includes the subdivisions Country Club Place, Country Club Court, and Remmerts. Davis Place is also home to the Shops of Clayton commercial corridor along Clayton Road.

Part of the Hi-Pointe–DeMun Historic District, DeMun is primarily a residential neighborhood on the eastern edge of Clayton. It is a dense and walkable neighborhood characterized by brick and limestone prewar apartment blocks, single family homes and small commercial areas centered around DeMun Avenue and Clayton Road. The neighborhood is also home to Concordia Seminary, the South Campus of Washington University, and three public parks (Concordia, DeMun, and Henry Wright).

The boundaries of DeMun in Clayton are Concordia Seminary's northern property line and Northwood Avenue, the St. Louis city limit to the east, Clayton Road to the south, and Big Bend Boulevard to the west.

A Blue Line MetroLink train passing through downtown Clayton

Downtown Clayton is the seat of St. Louis County government and home to its headquarters campus. In addition, downtown Clayton is home to three of the St. Louis region's seven Fortune 500 headquarters; Centene Corporation, Graybar, and Olin Corporation.[7] Commerce Bank, the Regional Business Council and the St. Louis Club are located in the neighborhood as well. Downtown Clayton is known for its many restaurants and cafes and hosts the St. Louis Art Fair along its streets during September each year.[8] Recently, the neighborhood has entered a period of significant redevelopment and new construction with the opening of the Two Twelve Clayton and Ceylon apartment buildings in 2017, Centene Plaza C in 2019, and the groundbreaking of the two tower Forsyth Pointe development in 2020.[9] As of 2022, downtown Clayton had seven projects, worth approximately $600 million, either in development or under construction.[9]

The boundaries of downtown Clayton are Maryland Avenue on the north, the University City limit on the east, Forest Park Parkway on the south, and Brentwood Boulevard on the west. The neighborhood is served by MetroLink via the Blue Line at the Clayton and Forsyth stations.

Like Clayton's other urban, walkable neighborhoods, the Moorlands is characterized by large, prewar masonry apartment buildings and single family homes with high-rise apartment buildings along Hanley Road and a small commercial district at the intersection of Hanley and Wydown Boulevard. Most of the single family homes are concentrated east of Glenridge Drive while most of the apartment buildings are concentrated to the west. The neighborhood's boundaries are Wydown Boulevard on the north, Audubon Drive on the east, Clayton Road on the south, and Hanley Road on the west.

North Clayton is a dense, walkable set of neighborhoods that encompass all of Clayton north of Maryland Avenue. The area is mostly made up of densely packed single family homes with office, apartment and condo buildings located primarily between Meramec Avenue and Brentwood Boulevard. Commercial corridors include Meramec and Maryland avenues. The neighborhood is home to Kol Rinah synagogue, St. Joseph Catholic Church, the Mid County branch of the St. Louis County Library, and Centene's corporate training center. Neighborhood parks include Taylor Park and Hanley Park which includes the historic Hanley House.

Subdivisions within North Clayton include the Bemiston additions, Clayton Gardens, Colonial Park, Hanley Place, and Maryland Terrace. Its boundaries to the north and east are the city limits with University City, its southern boundary is Maryland Avenue, and its western boundary is the Ladue city limit.

Other neighborhoods and subdivisions within Clayton include Brentmoor and Brentmoor Park, Carrswold, Ellenwood, Forest Ridge, Hillcrest, Parkside, Skinker Heights, Southmoor, Tesson, Tuscany Park, Wydown Forest, and Wydown Terrace.

As of the census[11] of 2020, there were 17,355 people, 5,587 households, and 3,275 families living in the city. The population density was 6,919.9 inhabitants per square mile (2,671.8/km²). There were 6,061 housing units at an average density of 2,414.7 per square mile (932.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 71.4% White, 8.1% African American, 0.2% Native American, 12.9% Asian, 1.0% from other races, and 6.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.0% of the population.[12]

There were 5,587 households, of which 28.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.5% were married couples living together, 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 1.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 41.5% were non-families. 34.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.90.[13]

The median age in the city was 29.5 years. 17.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 26.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 52.3% were from 15 to 44; and 11.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.5% male and 50.5% female.

The median income for a household in the city was $108,387, and the median income for a family was $157,621. The per capita income for the city was $66,967. About 6.2% of families and 8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.2% of those under age 18 and 2.8% of those age 65 or over.[13]

As of the census[14] of 2010, there were 15,939 people, 5,322 households, and 2,921 families living in the city. The population density was 6,427.0 inhabitants per square mile (2,481.5/km²). There were 6,321 housing units at an average density of 2,548.8 per square mile (984.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 78.0% White, 8.2% African American, 0.2% Native American, 10.8% Asian, 0.4% from other races, and 2.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.1% of the population.

There were 5,322 households, of which 26.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.3% were married couples living together, 6.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 1.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 45.1% were non-families. 37.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.12 and the average family size was 2.86.

The median age in the city was 29.2 years. 15.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 27.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.3% were from 25 to 44; 21.6% were from 45 to 64; and 11.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.9% male and 49.1% female.

As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 12,825 people, 5,370 households, and 2,797 families living in the city. The population density was 5,164.4 inhabitants per square mile (1,994.0/km²). There were 5,852 housing units at an average density of 2,356.5 per square mile (909.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 84.94% White, 7.77% Black or African American, 0.12% Native American, 5.62% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.29% from other races, and 1.22% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.49% of the population.

There were 5,370 households, out of which 25.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.4% were married couples living together, 6.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 47.9% were non-families. 40.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.09 and the average family size was 2.90.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 20.1% under the age of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 32.3% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 14.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $64,184, and the median income for a family was $107,346. Males had a median income of $64,737 versus $42,757 for females. The per capita income for the city was $48,055. About 5.0% of families and 7.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.5% of those under age 18 and 3.2% of those age 65 or over.

Clayton Transit Center

Clayton is served by the Blue Line of the St. Louis region's MetroLink light rail system. The city has two stations: the Forsyth station, which serves downtown Clayton but is within city limits of University City; and Clayton. Metro Transit also operates the Clayton Transit Center on Shaw Park Drive, which connects the Clayton light rail station with multiple MetroBus routes and paratransit services.

Major arterial routes in Clayton include Big Bend Boulevard, Brentwood Boulevard, Clayton Road, Forest Park Parkway, Hanley Road, and Interstate 170. Forsyth Boulevard (which changes to Old Bonhomme between North Clayton and University City) was at one time an ancient Native American trail and was part of the route of the 1904 Olympic marathon.[21] Other primary routes in the city include Maryland Avenue and Wydown Boulevard, the latter of which was named a Great Street by the American Planning Association in 2010.[22]

The clocktower in the center of the South 40

The city is home to Fontbonne University and Concordia Seminary of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod. A portion of Washington University's Danforth Campus, the South 40, is located in eastern Clayton and primarily consists of student housing.[23] Washington University's West Campus is located in downtown Clayton and houses offices for the library, information technology, and other university departments.[24] In 2007, Washington University acquired its South Campus in the DeMun neighborhood which is used primarily by intramural and club sports programs in addition to community theater groups.[25]

The city's public schools are operated by the School District of Clayton. Its three public elementary schools are Glenridge Elementary School in the Moorlands neighborhood, Captain Elementary School in the DeMun neighborhood, and Meramec Elementary School in Davis Place. These schools feed into Wydown Middle School on Wydown Boulevard which in turn feeds into Clayton High School, next to Shaw Park near downtown Clayton. In 2021 the district's enrollment was 2,412 students.[20]

Several of Clayton's elementary schools have been closed or repurposed. Gay School is now the Clayton Family Center; Maryland School has been repurposed into a Centene training center;[26] DeMun School burned in a fire and was replaced by Ralph M. Captain Elementary; and, after Brown v. Board of Education abolished segregated schools, Crispus Attucks School in downtown Clayton was demolished and replaced with an office building.[27]

St. Louis County Library operates the Mid-County Branch in Clayton, which was rebuilt and reopened on September 4, 2020.[28][29][30]