Custom clocks designed for Pennsylvania’s Capitol a century ago are still ticking
Capitol buildings almost always have an impressive appearance. As seats of government, they are elegant and stately – and often covered with a dome.
Visitors to Pennsylvania’s Capitol are attracted by its priceless artwork, polished marble, and intricate carvings, but behind the doors of some of its most ornate offices and chambers lies another treasure: hundreds of antique clocks that were part of its original design. Were.
The 273 working clocks include many that are integrated into fireplace mantels and other building features.
They are not low maintenance, requiring regular oiling and occasional mechanical overhauls.
And every week, reminiscent of a time before wristwatches and cellphones, clockwinders roam the halls – making sure the more than a century-old timekeeper keeps ticking.
On a recent morning, Bethany Gill demonstrated how it’s done — going from room to room with a series of stairs and custom equipment. She opens the glass lids, turns the mechanisms enough to keep them running for about a week and checks their accuracy before moving on to the next one.
Gill is a former art student who works for Johnson & Griffiths Studio, a Harrisburg firm that recently received a five-year, $526,000 winding and maintenance contract renewal from the Capitol Preservation Committee.
She is also a lifelong clock lover who looks forward to the semiannual change between Daylight Savings Time and Eastern Standard Time.
Why?
“My father was a watch collector growing up,” Gill said. “And every Sunday we would go around the house and wind the clocks. And it was always a cool thing I did with my father.”
Pennsylvania’s Capitol was designed by architect Joseph M. Huston, who won a design competition in 1901 with his vision of a temple of democracy—a palace of art that would be as attractive as any found in Europe.
Among countless other outstanding works, Huston designed at least 180 custom watch cases, including small so-called Keystone watches, shaped to remind people of Pennsylvania’s early and important role in the formation of the United States Due to which it has been nicknamed the Keystone. State.
“The clocks are part of why the building is so unique and so complex,” said Jason Wilson, historian for the Capitol Preservation Committee. “The mantels around the clocks are all custom designed.”
Sometimes the clocks, most of which are constructed of mahogany or stained mahogany, are carefully removed from their locations around the Capitol and taken to a facility for cleaning, maintenance, and repair. They run better when placed in a wound.
Architect Huston achieved his goal. The Capitol is a showpiece that attracts thousands of visitors each year where 253 state legislators gather to debate and pass legislation.
While the buildings and clocks are his lasting legacy, Huston was convicted of conspiracy to defraud the state during the Capitol construction project and spent several months in the Eastern State Penitentiary, another Pennsylvania landmark, in Philadelphia.