For 108 years the Jacobs Jewelers clock has been a Downtown landmark. Its first home was in front of the store when it was rebuilt on Bay Street a few months after the Great Fire of 1901. The timepiece was meant to inspire the citizenry that Jacksonville would once again prosper after the conflagration that virtually destroyed all of the city.
After the smoke cleared and the town began to rebuild, the clock was moved to Jacobs’ new location on Forsyth Street. The store and its signature timekeeper were moved to their current site at the corner of Adams and Laura streets in 1930. The clock ticked steadily until one day in 1973 when an errant city bus ran up on the curb and knocked the clock off its pedestal.
That put the case and the Seth Thomas eight-day wind mechanical movement out of commission until it underwent an $11,000 restoration, said Roy Thomas, owner of Jacobs Jewelers. Part of the restoration was to replace the works with an electrical movement since the original mechanism was worn out after more than 70 years of keeping time and displaying it in all directions to all who passed by on the street.
Thomas also said there were only 100 of the clocks manufactured and Downtown’s timepiece is one of only 12 that remain in the world. Jacobs Jewelers donated the clock to the City in 2001.