| Louisville Clock | |
| Architect: | Barney Bright |
|---|---|
| Dedicated: | December 3, 1976 |
| Dedicated by: | Wilson W. Wyatt |
| Dedicated at: | River City Mall (later the Louisville Galleria and then Fourth Street Live!) |
| Location: | Theatre Square |
The Louisville Clock (often called the Derby Clock) is a 40-foot (12 m) high ornamental clock once located on Fourth Street in Louisville, Kentucky.[1] It was designed in the appearance like a gigantic wind-up toy, incorporating themes of Kentucky culture, especially the Kentucky Derby horse race. Eight ornamental columns support an elevated 8-lane race track. At noon each day, a bugle announced the beginning of a race between five hand-carved statues of figures with local significance: George Rogers Clark, Daniel Boone, Thomas Jefferson, King Louis XVI of France and the Belle of Louisville.[2] Several mechanized sculptures of notable past Louisvillians watched from above in a Victorian-esque Gazebo: Mary Anderson, D.W. Griffith, Zachary Taylor, Henry Watterson and Oliver Cooke.
In 1970, Barney Bright was commissioned to create a major landmark for the city to be located in the new River City Mall development (later the Louisville Galleria, and then Fourth Street Live!).[1] Funds were not allocated initially and River City Mall opened with the space intended for the clock sitting empty.
In 1974, former mayor Wilson W. Wyatt found funding and formed a committee that selected Barney Bright of Louisville to design the clock. Construction began immediately and the clock was dedicated on December 3, 1976 before a crowd of 3,000 people.[1] However the final result was scaled back considerably due to cost.
The clock suffered from mechanical problems and was frequently out of order. The city ended up paying over $20,000 a year in maintenance costs. When the Louisville Galleria opened in 1981, the clock had to be moved a block south to Guthrie Street. Later in 1986 the clock was relocated to the Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center, but the city stopped making repairs and it sat inactive for years before being removed in 1993. Its new location the Kentucky Derby Museum and there it would remain in pieces in storage for several years.
The clock can currently be seen at Bowman Field. It has been undertaking a restoration project. Barney Bright's son Jeb Bright has been restoring the figures for the project.[2]
In December 2009, the clock's chief restorer Adam Burckle came to an agreement with Louisville Metro mayor Jerry Abramson to install the clock in a new landscaped plaza at the entrance of the Louisville Zoo in Spring 2010, where it would be viewed by about 900,000 zoo visitors a year.[3]
In December 2010, zoo officials decided the cost, to be as much as $200,000 or more, to create a centerpiece and a stand for the clock is too much, and is therefore unaffordable for now. [4]
In October 2011, it was announced that the Louisville Clock, often called the Derby Clock, is returning to downtown Louisville after decades away. The 45-foot clock, which features colorful characters racing on its face, will be located in Theatre Square, near the Brown Hotel, and Seelbach Hotel. [5]