Will "The Clayton" Generate a "6th Avenue of the Arts"?

Over the weekend, I posted pictures of a couple of new developments in the North End in order to give you a peek at the exciting things happening here that might be otherwise overlooked. Yesterday the development company president for the new build going up in Salemtown, "The Clayton on 6th Avenue North," sent me a press release to provide even more information. You should read the whole release because the details look outstanding to me. Here's the release text:

August 9, 2006, Nashville, TN – Jim Creason, President of Trust Develop-ment, LLC today announced the development of "The Clayton on 6th Avenue North." Jeremy Gearheart, a business associate of Creason’s and partner of the development will oversee the day to day aspects of the project.

Creason Clayton, a well known artist and Nashville real estate developer, is the inspiration for this exciting new construction project located in the hip urban Germantown/Salemtown area. "The Clayton on 6th Ave. North" consists of three awesome, upgraded new homes designed by noted local historic replica home designer Lynn Taylor and built by Timberline Custom Homes.

In addition to being a renowned real estate developer in Nashville during the 1960’s through the 1980's, Creason Clayton was voted "Best Visual Artist" by Nashville Life in 1997 and was named among the top 100 Contemporary American artists by Art & Antique magazine. As an artist, he is best noted for his paintings of elegant, elongated women dressed in 1920s fashions and for his landscapes. Clayton was also known the world over for his attention to detail in his paintings. This attention to detail and quality will be seen in the construction and upgrades in "The Clayton on 6th Ave. North."

Jim Creason, a family member of Mr. Clayton, has named this project after Clayton who passed away in June of this year and is providing a Creason Clayton print to each home buyer. The new owners of the homes in "The Clayton on 6th Ave. North" will not only have an upscale urban living space, but will also have an outstanding piece of artwork to display in their new home. Mr. Clayton’s artwork and flair is found in finer homes and galleries all across the US and Europe and will soon be found in "The Clayton on 6th Ave. North."

Commenting on the development, Mr. Creason stated, "I am proud to be a part of the revitalization of such a historic district and think these homes will serve as a catalyst for other property owners in the area to continue what is already taking place. Our commitment to detail and quality materials coupled with the location will provide buyers tremendous investment upside."

"The Clayton on 6th Ave. North" is located at 1817, 1819 and 1821 Sixth Avenue North [the architect's sketch above is 1821], just north of the downtown Farmer’s Market. The homes range in price from $285,900 to $349,900 and include many upgrades including Hickory wood floors, granite countertops, upgraded appliance packages, extensive millwork and trim, master suites, fireplaces, private rear court yards and much more. More information.

Mr. Creason gets gold stars from me for promoting Salemtown alongside of Germantown as a "hip urban area." But more significant is Mr. Creason's commitment to building single family homes in our intergenerational neighborhood. During our chat, he told me that he passed on the chance of a zoning variance to squeeze one more home or to configure for multi-units; the purpose of this development is historic preservation. He appreciates period development, and he feels that the North End "deserves housing that is in keeping with the unique aspects and the historic elements of the area."

I could not agree more. We do not need to become a neighborhood exclusively of lofts and townhouses. We need a wide variety of offerings, including single family homes. "The Clayton" provides one more option for families looking to move to an urban neighborhood and it fills a niche outside of that of multi-unit dwellings, which make more money at sale, but which should not be permitted to oversaturate the North End, especially not Salemtown. So, I am promoting "The Clayton on 6th Avenue North" because it seems like a tremendous project by a developer who is sensitive to the character of our neighborhood. We need more developers like Mr. Creason, and I hope the he feels welcome in Salemtown.