John Mitchell shows me a photo of the San Jose Museum of Art building as it was about 105 years ago—back when it was the post office and back when it still had the clock tower.
“You could show that picture to everybody in San Jose today and about fifty percent of them wouldn’t even know what it was,” he explains. “‘We have a clock tower?’ they would ask. ‘San Jose has a clock tower?’ They wouldn’t even know about this.”
I added that those fifty percent probably don’t even know where downtown is to begin with.
In case you don’t know, the art museum used to have a clock tower that stood about forty feet above the top of the building as it is now. Then a pesky earthquake came along in 1906 and knocked the tower off. A newer clock was then installed as a quick fix in what was then left of the tower, which is what you see today. We have one of the last remaining hand-wound pendulum clocks in the US, and a bell dated 1905, but no tower. And no belfry.
Mitchell is the last desperado trying to restore the clock tower to what it once looked like, claiming this could be a San Jose landmark to rival many others. He says he’s been toiling away for 18 years trying to get this done. Dan Keegan, former honcho at the museum, was a firm supporter of the project, but since he’s no longer around, the project has cooled somewhat.
After interrupting a meeting in the back room upstairs at the museum, Mitchell and I climbed the stairs to the current clock room and yakked about the restoration effort. Right now, if you look at the building from the outside, you’ll see three clock faces on the north, south and west sides of what’s left of the tower. Mitchell says one issue in the restoration is whether or not to include the fourth face, which would face east. “If we don’t, then people on the east side will complain,” he said. “They’ll say, ‘What, d’ya think the east side isn’t good enough?’”
Anyway, if people can suggest that Hangar One at Moffett is our Golden Gate Bridge—yes, people have actually said such things with a straight face—then I will suggest that the historic clock tower is our mini version of the Cologne Cathedral. When I climbed those stairs to get to the top, I made the connection immediately.
Gary to fund it they should move the museum out and make the building an Ultra Lounge. The clock tower would serve as the most impressive VIP room. Metro’s owner would love it!
For more information about the clock tower, check out http://www.sjClockTower.org.
Disclaimer: I put the site together for John.
Gary,
Why hasn’t it been restored? Money?
Die Kolnischer Dom! Ya!
Sign me up!
This has been discussed for decades. Even during the boom years the money couldn’t be found. It probably has everything to do with a project like the California that cost millions and resulted in a beautiful venue for opera, live performances and film. Throwing money at the clock tower doesn’t provide much in the way of a return. People will drive by and after a while not even notice it if it the tower ever gets added back.
Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to have the tower again, but don’t see it as a viable effort that will gain steam until some sort of workable funding scheme is developed, and I highly doubt any such scheme would include public funds.
Following up on my last comment about Beat poetry in San Jose, this building served as the public library for some years, and it was here in the early 1950s that Jack Kerouac began his study of Buddhism.
I undertook a small research project to determine if the actual book he used was still in the collection, but the library has several copies of that book (don’t have the source at hand) and it’s not possible to tell when they entered the collection.
Why doesn’t our Redevelopment Agency live up to it’s name and (re)develop this wonderful piece of San Jose’s history?
It would probably mean a lot more to most San Joseans than another RDA-subsidized out-of-town business.
#5 Alfred: I’ve enjoyed your posts regarding the San Jose connection to the beat poets. Thank you.
Several of my friends and I have just recently finished an authentic restoration of an 1877 Seth Thomas hand wound tower clock in Romeo, Michigan. It was re-dedicated on May 15th of this year. a postmark was even issued in our honor of the restoration. It is the only known clock of it’s kind in the state. We where able to raise the $5000 needed thru fundraisers around town. Please keep trying to find money for the San Jose restoration. I can even donate some machining time for the clock mechanisms if needed.
Power to the Tower!!!
Bill