Nicholas Joseph Clayton (November 1, 1840, in Cloyne, County Cork – December 9, 1916) was a prominent Victorian era architect in Galveston, Texas.
Early life Clayton was born on November 1, 1839, in Cloyne, County Cork, Ireland. His father, also named Nicholas Joseph Clayton, died in 1848. Margaret O'Mahoney Clayton, his mother, moved from Ireland to Cincinnati the same year. He served as a yeoman in the United States Navy during the Civil War. Following the war, he worked throughout the American South and Midwest as a craftsman and draftsman, finally settling in Galveston in 1872.
Career Clayton constructed many grand religious and public buildings in Galveston including the First Presbyterian Church (Galveston, Texas). He is also credited as the architect of Sacred Heart Catholic Church (Tampa, Florida) and of the Main Building of St. Edward's University in Austin, Texas. He also designed an addition to St. Mary Cathedral in Galveston. In 1887, Clayton was consulted in the design process of the fourth (and current) Texas State Capitol building in Austin, serving on an advisory board for the dome's construction and assisting with the selection of interior furnishings. Speck, Larry. "Old Red, University of Texas Medical School Galveston", Landmarks of Texas Architecture, (1986), University of Texas PressWooten, Heather Green. Old Red: Pioneering Medical Education in Texas, Texas A&M University Press, 2013, "Nicholas Joseph Clayton", Alexander Architectural Archive, University of Texas, Austin"GHF and the City of Galveston Celebrate Nicholas Clayton’s 175th Birthday on November 1", Galveston Historical FoundationSpeck, Larry. "The Bishop's Palace", Landmarks of Texas Architecture, (1986), University of Texas PressCard, Terry. "The Bishop’s Palace: Galveston’s Most Significant Building", Island GuideCanright, Marsha. "Island celebrates renowned architect", Coast Monthly, October 24, 2015
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Photos of Clayton's work