Claytor Memorial Clinic

Dr. John B. Claytor Sr. opened the Claytor Memorial Clinic here in honor of his late wife, Roberta, in 1948. Situated in a vibrant Black community, this was one of the first Black, family-owned medical clinics in Southwest Virginia. Urban Renewal, under which the City of Roanoke demolished numerous homes, businesses, and churches between 1955 and the 1990s, hollowed out this and other Black neighborhoods. The city, using eminent domain, planned to acquire the Clinic and other Claytor buildings in the 1970s but never did so, leaving the properties in limbo for years. In 2001 the Claytors initiated legal action that helped inspire limitations on redevelopment authorities and eminent domain.