Sidewalk Clock, 783 Fifth Avenue

Sidewalk Clock at 783 5th Avenue, Manhattan
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Sidewalk Clock at 783 5th Avenue
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Location	783 5th Avenue, Manhattan, New York City
Coordinates	40°45′52″N73°58′24″W / 40.76444°N 73.97333°W / 40.76444; -73.97333
Built	1927 (1927)
Architect	E. Howard & Co. E. Howard Clock Co.
NRHP reference No.	85000930
Added to NRHP	April 18, 1985 [1]

The Sidewalk Clock at 783 Fifth Avenue is an early 19th-century sidewalk clock in New York City. The cast iron clock was built in 1927 by E. Howard & Co. and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 18, 1985.

History

The Sidewalk Clock at 783 Fifth Avenue is located in front of the Sherry-Netherland Hotel. The clock, designed to look like a large pocket watch, was made by the E. Howard Clock Company and installed in 1927. ^[1] The Sidewalk Clock was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 18, 1985. ^[1]

It is made of cast iron and stands 15 feet tall. It has a base pedestal, a column with a capital, and a round dial housing with back-to-back clock dials. The clock face is inscribed “Sherry-Netherland.” ^[2] First introduced in the 1860s, cast-iron street clocks gained popularity both as practical timepieces and as unique advertising tools. ^{[2] [3]}

On July 24, 1961, several of the New York newspapers reported that the historic clock was covered because of a city ordinance which demanded that clocks provide the correct time. ^[4]

References

1. "Sidewalk Clock at 783 5th Avenue, Manhattan". National Park Service. April 18, 1985. Retrieved March 30, 2025.
2. "Sidewalk Clock of New York City Thematic Resources". National Park Service. April 18, 1985. Retrieved March 30, 2025.
3. Reynolds, Donald M. (1988). "Clocks". Monuments and masterpieces. Macmillan Pub. Co. pp. 426–428. ISBN   978-0-02-602430-3 . Retrieved March 31, 2025.
4. "Confirming The Items". Buffalo, New York ·: The Buffalo News. July 24, 1951. p. 17. Retrieved March 30, 2025.