I was always interested in the Claymont subdivision, located on the southeast corner of Clayton and Kehr’s Mill roads in Ballwin in West County. Developed around 1963, the subdivision was a great example of the new sort of development appearing in the mid-Twentieth Century.

Unlike Glasgow Village or Castle Point, which we’ve looked at before, these houses were much larger, boasting two car garages and two bathrooms. This is also a great opportunity to discuss the rise of the ranch house, a popular style of suburban home that is supposedly inspired by domiciles of the desert Southwest. Featuring sprawling one-story design not precipitated by financial issues but rather by choice, a broad front porch almost always appeared in ranch houses despite social activities now being turned towards the backyard. The Chateau model, seen above and below, is a great example.

What is also interesting in advertising literature for Claymont is the appearance of the term “master bedroom,” which is neither historic nor with precedent in Western architecture. As you might know, the term has now fallen out of favor of “primary bedroom.”

The house above has a bit of Colonial Revival styling even as a ranch house.

Below are some interesting promotional photographs of the interior of a model home. While the houses in Claymont have basements, many ranch houses do not.