TETON VILLAGE, Wyo. — The Teton Village house and art studio of a “world-renowned” 20th-century painter has officially been placed under a historic preservation easement.
The Teton Trust for Historic Places announced Wednesday that the home and workshop of John Clymer will now be protected forever under the easement. The building’s owner Clay Petrey has worked toward receiving this recognition for two years.
“In the past few years it became apparent that without intervention, the house is a tear-down by the next owner in this hot real estate market,” Petrey said via press release. “That would be a tragic loss, not just of the legacy of John Clymer, but also of this rare piece of the old Teton Village. I am stupid lucky to have the opportunity to preserve this historic house and its place in history.”
The house was designed and built by Clymer and his wife Doris in 1969. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in March of 2025. According to the announcement, this easement is notable because it is a “first” in three ways: the first building in a contemporary architectural style to be protected with the Teton Trust for Historic Places; the first preservation easement in Teton Village; and the first to be donated as a charitable gift.
In the statement, the house is described as an example of the preferred “alpine” style desired for Teton Village by Paul McCollister and the Jackson Hole Ski Corporation Architectural Committee, similar to the style of the original tram tower and the Alpenhof Lodge.
John Clymer’s career began with illustrating covers for the Saturday Evening Post. Norman Rockwell is the only artist who has been featured more in that publication than Clymer. Seeking inspiration for his art, Clymer and his wife traveled often, and they wanted to help immortalize the American West’s history.
The contents of his studio are replicated on display at the National Museum of Wildlife Art (NMWA), where Clymer was the first recipient of the Rungius Medal in 1988, a year before he died. According to the NMWA, the Rungius Medal is presented to individuals who have made “lifetime or extraordinary contributions to the artistic interpretation and preservation of wildlife and its habitat.”
“John Clymer was an important member of Jackson Hole’s artistic community for nearly two decades,” NMWA Associate Curator of Art Kennis Forte said via press release. “The National Museum of Wildlife Art houses more than 80 original paintings and drawings by the artist.”
