Clayton/Tamm Neighborhood - "Dogtown"

The Clayton/Tamm neighborhood is part of the St. Louis city area known as "Dogtown" which includes parts of the neighborhoods of Hi-Pointe, Franz Park and Ellendale, as well. The Clayton-Tamm Neighborhood is a small area located near the western edge of the St. Louis City limits that was once originally part of the Cheltenham area. Being directly south of the St. Louis Zoo and Forest Park, its boundaries consist of Oakland Avenue and Highway 64 on the north, Hampton Avenue on the east, Manchester Avenue on the South and Louisville and Dale Avenues on the west. The name for this neighborhood comes from the fact that Clayton Avenue and Tamm Avenue intersect right in the middle of it.

Located in the Clayton-Tamm Neighborhood is Turtle Park. Children love to come to Turtle Park to play and climb on the turtle sculptures. Those turtles were designed and sculpted by the late Robert Cassilly, maybe better known for his uniquely creative City Museum located in Downtown St. Louis.

St. James the Greater Catholic church was founded in the Clayton-Tamm Neighborhood in 1860 for the Irish Catholics living there. Because of its Irish heritage, Clayton-Tamm is the location of the St. Patrick's Day Parade that is sponsored by the Ancient Order of Hibernians and is always held on March 17th each year. The parade route runs the whole length of Tamm Avenue, beginning at Oakland and ending at Manchester Road.

The residents of the neighborhood are served by the St. Louis Public School District, although no district school is located within its boundaries. One private school is located there, St. James the Greater School. It is a private Catholic school that provides education to grades Kindergarten through 8th grade.

A little known nickname of "Brick City" was given to St. Louis in the nineteenth century because of all the clay mines located here and consequently for all the bricks that were produced from that clay. Look around! St Louis has so many brick buildings that used the bricks produced from the clay mined right here in the city! After the St. Louis Fire of 1849, stricter building codes were implemented and brick for building materials was in high demand. Many immigrants came to the Dogtown area to find jobs. They either worked in the clay mines, the coal mines also located there, or for the railroads laying the railroad lines in St. Louis. The Irish workers then settled with their families in what would become the Clayton-Tamm neighborhood.

Clayton / Tamm Neighborhood Related Links:

City of St Louis Website, Clayton Tamm Neighborhood Website