Clock-not-so-wise: At the corner of Oak Park Avenue and North Boulevard, it’s always 10:46, even at 2:20 p.m., when this photo was taken. We’re not sure whose purview this clock falls under, but it stands outside the U.S. Bank building. You would think the Avenue Business Association would try to get whoever’s responsible to fix it.
Metra station clock: This clock at the Oak Park Metra Station, was officially designated the Millennium Clock because it was dedicated at midnight, Jan. 1, 2000. Unfortunately, it has consistently run five minutes slow for this entire millennium thus far. It is especially ironic to have an inaccurate clock associated with a train station where the trains are supposed to run “like clockwork.” This photo was taken at 3:03 p.m.
OPRF clock: A gift from the classes of 1957, ’58, and ’59 this large clock on the wall by the South Hall entrance overlooking the East Avenue mall at Oak Park and River Forest High School, actually keeps accurate time, much to the chagrin, probably of tardy students.
OPRF Time and Temp Clock: OPRF goes 2 for 2. This prairie-style, community bulletin board by the South Field along Lake Street plugs school programs in addition to giving the (accurate) time.
Fifth Third Bank clock: You can’t miss this clock, garish in its neon splendor, as it towers over the Eisenhower Expressway on Oak Park Avenue. But it does run on time.
Forsyth building clock: The digital clock outside the Forsyth building, Lake Street and Forest Avenue, which houses Community Bank of OP-RF, runs on time. The only problem is people waiting in lines across the street at the Lake Theatre can’t see it because it’s shrouded by leaves (half the year).
Borders clock: This mini-replica of the Loop clocks that adorn the old Marshall Field’s building (now Macy’s), has been an overlooked treasure for decades. It still runs, but the Roman numerals are badly faded and the clock is 40 minutes slow. This photo was taken at 3:15 p.m.
U.S. Bank branch: U.S. Bank goes 0 for 2. The bank branch at North and Humphrey avenues marks its parking lot with a monolith, topped by a digital clock. On this day it was an hour and 20 minutes slow. The photo was taken at 3:50 p.m.
Bankruptcy clock: This digital clock at 108 Madison advertises a bankruptcy attorney, so you’d think he’d want the time to be accurate for all his prospective customers. Alas, this photo was taken at 4 p.m.
Unity Food clock: Another gateway clock that doesn’t keep accurate time. At Unity Food, corner of Austin Boulevard and Lake Street, it’s always five minutes to midnight. The grocery proprietors say it hasn’t worked in the 15 years they’ve been around. Maybe the village could call it “The Doomsday Clock” and connect it with our designation as a “Nuclear Weapons Free Zone.” This photo was taken at 10:02 a.m.
Clocks slay time … time is dead as long as it is being clicked off by little wheels; only when the clock stops does time come to life.
—William Faulkner
Does anybody really know what time it is? Does anybody really care?
Whatever the rock band Chicago was getting at with the rhetorical questions listed above, they clearly apply to Oak Park’s public clock situation. Some run right on time. Others don’t — and haven’t been for a long, well, time.
Some observers, no doubt, think public clocks are obsolete. All you have to do is check your cellphone. Some people still wear watches on their wrists. A few (well, basically me) have a pocket watch attached to the waist by a “fob” (What can I say? I like the feel of it).
So maybe we don’t actually “need” public clocks, but, to paraphrase Sheldon Leonard in It’s A Wonderful Life, “they give the joint atmosphere.” Think about what “Big Ben” does for London — or the clock in the film Back to the Future.
Oak Park has quite a few public clocks (I could only find one in River Forest). The good news is most of them still function. They range from neon-brilliant digital displays to traditional round-faced dials with numbers and two “hands.” Two even feature Roman numerals (and four faces), though you have to look closely on the Field’s clock, since the symbols are so badly faded.
The problem is, not all of our clocks run on time. Does anybody really care? Well, obviously if you sport a pocket watch you do. If nothing else, it’s ironic. It also makes us look careless and sloppy.
So I took matters into my own hands and documented the local public clock situation, with the goal of raising awareness and perhaps prodding the building owners to do some long-overdue maintenance.
My photographic survey took place on the afternoon of Aug. 4. The actual time listed under each photo is, admittedly, based on my pocket watch, but since a number of the clocks agreed with it, we’ll call that close enough.
Related
