It was established in 1911 by the City of Denver from a bequest by George Washington Clayton (1833 - 1899),[1] a merchant and real estate investor.
[2] The campus was designed by Maurice Biscoe and Henry Hewitt in the Italian Renaissance Revival style and includes sandstone masonry.
The Denver Public Library has a collection of documents from George Washington Clayton including diaries as well as school records.
[5] The building formerly housed the Black American West Museum and Heritage Center.
[2] The Trust owns Park Hill Golf Club, formerly a dairy farm where students pearned agricultural work.