Clayton Conversations

Architect John Mott to Share Clayton House Restoration Details Oct. 26

     Architect John Mott, who led the restoration of the William Henry Harrison Clayton House, will review the 1970s project at the Sunday, Oct. 26 “Clayton Conversations.” The 2 p.m. program will be preceded by a 1:30 p.m. music show by guitarist/singer Herschel Parker, who will perform a newly written “story song” entitled “W. H. H. Clayton.”

     A fellow of the American Institute of Architects, Mott serves as vice president & director of the architecture & historic preservation department at John Milner Associates, Inc. in Alexandria, VA. He has managed more than one hundred fifty preservation projects. A native of Fort Smith, Mott was working with his father, Ralph Mott, at the architectural firm Mott, Mobley, Horstman & Griffin in 1970 when he became leader of the project to totally restore the Clayton House. The Victorian era home, first built in 1852 by a wealthy Fort Smith merchant, was remodeled and doubled in size in 1882 by Clayton, the U.S. Attorney of Judge Isaac C. Parker’s court. Clayton’s family of nine lived in the Italianate-style home for 15 years.

      The Clayton family moved to McAlester in 1897 when Clayton became a U.S. Judge of Indian Territory. The home then served as a boarding house for nearly six decades. An upstairs fire in 1968 led the structure to be scheduled for demolition, but citizens stepped up to save the house, forming the nonprofit Fort Smith Heritage Foundation.

      Mott’s team took the massive home apart down to its hand-forged square nails and put it back together as it appeared in 1882. Completed in 1977, the authentic restoration draws visitors from across the country. It is listed in the National Geographic Guide to America’s Great Houses and serves as a historic house museum and private rental venue.

      Because seating is limited, reservations are accepted and can be made by calling the Clayton House at 479-783-3000 or emailing [email protected]. A entry fee of a $5 donation toward the continued preservation of the home is appreciated.