04/03/2020
The following is a little history about Clayton’s Public House -
Most of the wood you see on the wall's at Clayton's Public House, excluding the wood behind the bar, are the original doors from the United Artist Theatre (now known as The Theatre at Ace Hotel) which was built in 1927. The 4 partners were D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks.
Those original doors in the offices above the Theatre at Ace Hotel were taken down and replaced in the mid-60s. They were stored in the basement and were long forgotten. When the Ace Hotel began construction in 2012 (ending in 2014) we had the opportunity to purchase them.
When we brought the doors to Clayton's Public House, they were in poor condition, and it took many hours of sanding, re-staining and varnishing them back to their original luster. With over a hundred doors total, it took many months to bring them back to life. The doors in the hallway, the pews and the big wall (with the owled mirror), are the original doors that were once touched by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks.
Also, the wood you see on all the columns, are the original doors from the Commercial Exchange Building (built in1927) now called the Freehand Hotel. We were able to purchase these doors and, similarly to the United Artist Theatre doors, were taken down from the offices in the mid-70s and stored in the basement, covered up, and found when the Freehand Hotel began construction. Again, we spent many hours sanding, staining and varnishing them and are now proudly hanging in Clayton's Public House.
They are very much a part of Downtown's history and it was an unbelievable feeling to see them hung on our walls. If only those walls could talk! Which I'm sure they do when all the lights are turned off and everybody's gone. Stay safe healthy and positive.
