New NY State License Plate Revealed—And Required On All Cars
Flashback: Last Brownstone Standing
Cops: Fort Greene Violence Sparked By Chicken Wing Promotion
City Records Big Spike In Commuter Cycling
64 Things Restaurant Patrons Must NEVER Do
We've mentioned the "Restricted Access" tours put on by the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council. Recently, a group of 20 on this tour got to see the inner workings of the 1898 Clock Tower Building with Marvin Schneider, the city's official clock watcher. He said of the tower, “If you stand here and look out on the city, you can imagine you’re in an entirely different century. If you want to do a little time travel, this is the place to come.” Given it's a unique clock in this city, being non-electric and in its original state, this must be easy to do. Read more about the inner workings in this essay written by Schneider in 1985.
The NY Times reports on the intimate occasion, where Schneider wound the clock with spectators around - a rare event as he's performed this task nearly every week for 27 years, alone. No one has been allowed in the tower since after 9/11. Prior to that, however, PS 1's Clocktower Gallery was housed there - and artists often used the clock as a canvas. Even without their flare, the Times notes that "the clock tower itself was nothing short of sublime, and there were gasps as the guests approached the landing. Four massive clock faces, composed of frosted glass and cast-iron Roman numerals, stare out over the four directions of Manhattan’s grid."
Schneider also makes sure the clocks in City Hall, the old courthouse in Harlem, the old Sun Building, and the borough halls of Brooklyn and Staten Island are running on time - something he's been doing since 1979, after being aggravated at seeing broken city clocks.
Check out video (narrated by Schneider) of this rarely seen tower, here. Sign up for more info on the Restricted Access tours, here.
Photo via NYC Architecture.
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
tweet this
post to facebook
The paired clock and thermometer still affixed to corners of the old New York Sun building near City Hall are a nice reminder that time will always pass, but some things in NYC have some staying power.
worth noting that WPS1.org broadcasts from the clocktower gallery, and the venerable experimental film distributor The Film-Maker's Coop is housed on the good old 13th floor.
R2, is this true? 346 Broadway is a government building now with courts, probation officers, and the City Hospital Corporation.
Also, 346 Broadway would still look like the beautiful building in the photo on the website if only they would get rid of the damn scaffolding that has surrounded it for years and years...