FRIENDS has been a vigilant watchdog of the Yorkville Clock for many years, faithfully changing the time every spring and fall. This summer, however, the clock stopped in advance of its annual update. For several months, the hands have been fixed at ten to nine. Though correct twice a day, FRIENDS took the initiative to have the clock checked out by expert Robert Baird (Historical Arts and Casting of West Jordan, Utah) yesterday. We are pleased to report that the Yorkville Clock now ticks time once again!
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Learn more about the clock’s history below:
The Yorkville Clock, formerly in the shadow of the Third Avenue Elevated Railroad, was a community favorite from the day in 1898 when Adolph Stern had it set up in front of his jewelry story at 1508 Third Avenue, the northwest corner of 85th Street. In 1923, Stern’s store, having added a pawn shop, moved across the street to 1501 Third Avenue, between 84th and 85th Streets.
The 17-foot cast-iron clock, simulating a giant two-faced pocket watch, was designated an official New York City landmark on August 25, 1981, along with the few other remaining sidewalk clocks in the five boroughs. It was produced by the E. Howard Clock Co., a Massachusetts firm with a New York office at 532 Broadway. The company had manufactured sidewalk clocks since 1870. In the second half of the 19th century similar tall sidewalk clocks became very popular throughout the United States. Merchants used them for advertising, and they served the public by telling the correct time for the many people who could not afford pocket watches.
About ninety years after it first appeared on Third Avenue, the Yorkville Clock, by this time owned by Reimann and Bresse Furniture Store, had a quixotic experience. In 1985 a city employee mistakenly sold it as surplus property to a clock devotee named Frank Dorsa, who planned to display it in his family’s collection in Muttontown, Long Island. When Dorsa went to Reimann and Bresse hoping to locate missing clock pieces, he was almost arrested as a thief. Only his bill of sale saved him. Apprised of the unfortunate sale, Herbert Rickman, who was a special assistant to Mayor Edward Koch, arranged for the clock’s return and for reimbursement to the Dorsa family. After these peregrinations, the clock needed significant repair, which was provided by antiques dealer Louis Agrusa. Reerected on the sidewalk in front of the furniture store (next to McDonalds) the clock was ceremoniously unveiled in February, 1989.
The clock’s many moves over the years contributed to its perilous deterioration. By early 1998, the need for a complete restoration was evident. The connections between the clock face and its stand were alarmingly weak. It ran sporadically. Often one face told one time, and the other another. The glass on one face was cracked and taped. Its iron pedestal, defaced by graffiti, showed patches of rust where paint had peeled off. FRIENDS worked in collaboration with the Friends of Cast Iron Architecture and Neighbors Restoring the Historic Yorkville Clock to raise $20,000 for the repair. Following an extensive restoration by Historical Arts and Casting in West Jordan, Utah, the Yorkville Clock was rededicated on September 14, 1999.
Thomas Jayne, a preeminent scholar and practitioner of interior design, will discuss his new book The Finest Rooms in America: 50 Influential Interiors from the 18th Century to the Present. With luxurious photographs and engaging writing, Jayne has captured a definitive record of the finest in American interiors, from the Tea Room at Jefferson’s Monticello to Albert Hadley’s modernist Upper East Side sitting room. In his lecture Mr. Jayne will present his favorite spaces, analyzing each room in their context and identifying the elements that contribute to the design’s visual success.
