The city originally acted as the trustee for the assets left behind when George Clayton died in 1899. The golf course previously was agricultural and dairy land, and the government managed it as a city golf course starting in 1932. Until 1982, the city itself owned the golf course land. Then it gave the deed over to the George W. Clayton Trust.
City Council members in the late 1980s considered trying to buy the land back from Clayton. Instead, the city paid Clayton for a promise not to develop the land.
In exchange for $2 million, Clayton agreed in 1997 to a “conservation easement,” which says the land can’t be used for anything but golf and related activities.
The relationship between Denver and Clayton Early Learning (previously known as The George W. Clayton Trust) is a long and complicated one going back many, many decades. Most recently, in 2000 the two parties entered into an “Agency Agreement” that was intended to contain the entire agreement between them concerning Park Hill Golf Course (Para. 17). In essence, what the Agreement does is establish Clayton as an …Continue reading →
Whereas, Park Hill Golf Course is approximately 155 acres in size and is generally located between Colorado Boulevard on the west, Smith Road on the north, Dahlia Street on the east, and 35th Avenue on the south, and has been operated as a golf course for over 100 years; and
Whereas, contrary to popular belief, Park Hill Golf Course is NOT owned by Denver, but instead is owned by Clayton Early Learning, which is a nonprofit foundation whose mission is to promote early childhood education
