Friday, April 3, 2009

Ridgewood clock rescue

"This clock on a building at the corner of Forest and Metropolitan Avenues in Ridgewood had been an unofficial neighborhood landmark for decades.
Here is a closeup of what it looked like a few years back when Forgotten-NY had it featured on a page. Yikes...
Well, the building it was on is no longer extant. (The site is slated to become a Walgreens.) But what about the clock?
Luckily, yours truly noticed the clock was still hanging around, made a phone call, and a friend procured it from the demo company. There are plans to restore it to working condition and install it on another local building. If anyone knows a good coppersmith or clockmaker, we'd welcome your referrals." - anonymous

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

why did they tear down that building to become a walgreens, when there is a big empty former Rite Aid building two block down?

Kevin Walsh said...

Crapper strikes again!

www.forgotten-ny.com

Anonymous said...

Let's get more predictable and rant about walgreens for another 5 comments.

Anonymous said...

A truly handsome clock. Does anyone know how old it is?

Queens Crapper said...

"why did they tear down that building to become a walgreens, when there is a big empty former Rite Aid building two block down?"

Because the School Construction Authority has said publicly that it is interested in the Rite Aid property which means it will sit abandoned for several more years and then eminent domained and is therefore not on the market.

Anonymous said...

I know the clock was there since just after WWII, not sure about how long before that it was installed.

Anonymous said...

To get suggestons on saving the clock:

Save America Clocks
Tom Barnadon
212-229-0202

Metro Dog said...

The clock is gone.

Anonymous said...

The clock is gone but is in safe keeping.

panzer65 said...

Why another pharmacy?

Queens Crapper said...

There's no pharmacy along Metro from the Brooklyn line all the way to 80th Street. In this case, it may be a welcome thing.

Taxpayer said...

"The clock is gone but is in safe keeping."

Congratulations to everyone who helped preserve this clock!

I'm looking forward to seeing this restored clock in a proud location someday soon.

Brooks of Sheffield said...

I love this story.

Anonymous said...

Metropolitan Avenue somewhere between 73rd Place and 80th Street could use the clock.

MR. G said...

Ridgwood the old will be lost for ever. Build more..??

mr.g

PizzaBagel said...

I'm relieved to hear that the clock was saved from the scrap heap. (I wasn't even aware that the building had been razed.) There is some sanity amidst all the destruction in the name of development.

FYI, the clock has a twin at the northwest corner of First Avenue and East 79th Street in Manhattan. Unlike its brother in Ridgewood, it has been kept in tip-top shape.

P.S. Its geometrical shape of six octahedra and eight triangles is known as a truncated cube.