After an absence of almost two years, Jacksonville's most famous clock was reinstalled Downtown on Monday morning at Jacobs Jewelers along Laura Street at Adams Street.
The clock was removed from the sidewalk in front of the store in April 2011 to protect it during construction of the Laura Street improvement project.
It was stored for one year before the City executed a contract with the I.T. Verdin Co. in Cincinnati for the restoration of the "Jacobs Jewelers Seth Thomas antique four-dial clock."
The cost of the work was not to exceed $51,094.
The contract called for the total restoration of the clock's cast iron frame, replacement of the dials and hands with historically accurate components, a new synchronous drive system with a solid state master controller accurate to within one minute per year.
The new clock also has a backup battery system and automatically sets daylight saving time.
"It's wonderful. The clock is better than it ever was," said Jacobs Jewelers owner Roy Thomas on Monday after the clock was installed.
The history of the clock dates back to 1901.
Manufactured by the Seth Thomas Clock Co. in Connecticut, it was installed along Bay Street when the jewelry store was rebuilt after The Great Fire destroyed almost the entire city.
Thomas said Jacobs Jewelers wanted the clock to serve as a symbol that Jacksonville would be rebuilt and was open for business.
Emily Lisska, executive director of the Jacksonville Historical Society, said the 1901 fire remains the third-largest metropolitan fire in American history.
"The clock was placed just a few months after the fire. It was a symbol of the city rising from the ashes and a statement that Jacksonville would again be a great city. It's easily one of the most historic landmarks in Jacksonville and it's a wonderful iconic symbol," she said.
The store and the clock moved several months later to Forsyth Street and remained there until 1930, when both moved to the present address at Adams and Laura streets.
The next milestone was recorded in 1973, when a city bus jumped the curb and knocked down the clock. That marked the first time the 18-foot-tall timepiece was restored, said Thomas.
Jacobs Jewelers gifted the clock to the City in 1995 after its second restoration.
Thomas said the clock at that time was appraised at $100,000 because its value as an antiquity.
Only 100 of the clocks were manufactured and only 10 remain in operation, Thomas said.
He said the clock is now supported by a new steel column in the base to reinforce the original eight mounting bolts that held the clock on the sidewalk.
"It's a lot more stable than it ever has been," said Thomas.
Thomas said he expects it will be at least 20 years before the clock will require another restoration. In the meantime, He expects the City might have to do some tree trimming in front of the store.
"You can see it fine from Adams Street, but the limbs need to be cut back so you can see the clock if you're on Laura Street," Thomas said.
Mayor Alvin Brown is scheduled to unveil the restored clock April 17 in conjunction with the opening of the One Spark crowdfunding festival.
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