Public education began in Clayton around 1853 when Mr. H.L. Hinton of New Jersey came south and opened Clayton Academy. This was the first brick building in town and is now the present home of Dr. T.R. Bass. The Clayton Graded School, built in 1915 and the Clayton Grammar School and Municipal Auditorium, built in 1926 is located at 111 East Second Street. Built on 23 acres of land in the Classical Revival architectural style the school was in operation as a public school until closing in the spring of 1997. The building then sat empty until the former grade school building was renovated and converted into the Clayton Government Services complex and the former Municipal Auditorium and grammar school building was renovated and converted into the Clayton Cultural Arts Center. A glass-enclosed lobby with an elevator to join the two school buildings eliminates the need for elevators in each building. Both were reopened to the public in January 2003, establishing a focal point for Clayton. While creating a sense of the new Clayton, the buildings still preserve the best of the old and a sense of the past in their design. The buildings are listed in the National Register of Historic Places.