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Midtown's Clock of Nations returns downtown. Take a look inside the restoration

Charles P. Ferra paints a gold pin stripe on Rochester's iconic Clock of the Nations on Dec. 13, 2024. The clock is being restored at Tower 280 not far from where it stood in Midtown Plaza from 1962 to 2008. The rotating clock is made up of 12 capsules containing puppets representing different nationalities living in Rochester.
Max Schulte
/
WXXI News
Charles P. Ferra paints a gold pin stripe on Rochester's iconic Clock of the Nations on Dec. 13, 2024. The clock is being restored at Tower 280 not far from where it stood in Midtown Plaza from 1962 to 2008. The rotating clock is made up of 12 capsules containing puppets representing different nationalities living in Rochester.

Inside the former Midtown Tower in downtown Rochester is a vacant, first-floor office space filled with pieces of the city’s past.

The Clock of Nations — which stood for a half century as a focal point of Midtown Plaza — is back.

“There's a lot of history here,” said developer Ken Glazer, who is overseeing its restoration and, soon, its installation in what is now Tower 280. “We're on the Midtown block. This is pretty close to where the clock actually was, so we're kind of bringing it home.”

But that effort has become more involved — and expensive — than expected.

Glazer had hoped to have it on display for the holidays but now, a couple months into the restoration work, he is aiming for February.

The clock and its dozen capsules of dancing marionettes is in pieces today, resting on pallets, spread out on tabletops, or propped up on makeshift work stands.

Crouching or standing among the pieces are a handful of craftsmen, sanding, patching, repainting.

Peter Dianetti and Jesus Mercado paint the flower domes of Rochester's iconic Clock of the Nations on Dec. 13, 2024. The clock is being restored at Tower 280 not far from where it stood in Midtown Plaza from 1962 to 2008. The rotating clock is made up of 12 capsules containing puppets representing different nationalities living in Rochester.
Max Schulte
/
WXXI News
Peter Dianetti and Jesus Mercado paint the flower domes of Rochester's iconic Clock of the Nations on Dec. 13, 2024. The clock is being restored at Tower 280 not far from where it stood in Midtown Plaza from 1962 to 2008. The rotating clock is made up of 12 capsules containing puppets representing different nationalities living in Rochester.

“As we've gone through we've found layers of different colors, of different paints,” said Mark Peacock, who is leading the work team. “Some of this stuff was more ornate than it is now, but we're bringing it back to as close as we can get to what it once was.”

Peacock, 62, used to bring his children to Midtown every Christmas season to see the clock, ride the monorail, do all the holiday things. Today his son Michael, 41, is working alongside him on the restoration.

Peter Dianetti works on restoring the top of Rochester's iconic Clock of Nations on Dec. 13, 2024. The clock is being restored at Tower 280 not far from where it stood in Midtown Plaza from 1962 to 2008. The rotating clock is made up of 12 capsules containing puppets representing different nationalities living in Rochester.
Max Schulte
/
WXXI News
Peter Dianetti works on restoring the top of Rochester's iconic Clock of Nations on Dec. 13, 2024. The clock is being restored at Tower 280 not far from where it stood in Midtown Plaza from 1962 to 2008. The rotating clock is made up of 12 capsules containing puppets representing different nationalities living in Rochester.

“To stand here and actually touch these things and physically work on them after standing there for years just watching everything happen,” Peacock said, “it's a pretty awesome experience.”

And a lot of work.

"This is a lot bigger than we thought,” Glazer said. “There's a lot more pieces. This is in a lot worse condition.”

The clock also needs substantial mechanical and electrical repair. And it weighs 3,500 lbs., which is a problem.

Tower 280 sits atop a three-level underground parking garage. And where the clock will sit is unsupported, almost perfectly between four columns. So the floor has to be reinforced, down through all three levels of the garage.

Glazer worked with the Landmark Society of Western New York to secure a $25,000 grant from the Community Foundation. But he said a lot of the expense will be paid out of pocket.

And that’s fine, Glazer said: “We're committed to it. ... As we rebuild downtown, we’ve got to keep remembering where we came from.”

Charles P. Ferra paints a gold pin stripe on Rochester's iconic Clock of Nations on Dec. 13, 2024. The clock is being restored at Tower 280 not far from where it stood in Midtown Plaza from 1962 to 2008. The rotating clock is made up of 12 capsules containing puppets representing different nationalities living in Rochester.
Max Schulte
/
WXXI News
Charles P. Ferra paints a gold pin stripe on Rochester's iconic Clock of Nations on Dec. 13, 2024. The clock is being restored at Tower 280 not far from where it stood in Midtown Plaza from 1962 to 2008. The rotating clock is made up of 12 capsules containing puppets representing different nationalities living in Rochester.

The clock is the work of artist Dale Clark and designed by Geri Kavanaugh, an employee of famed architect Victor Gruen, who designed Midtown and is considered a “pioneer of mall architecture.”

Clark built the clock on a barge in Long Beach, California. Scribbled on the base of one of the central pieces are the words, “Deliver to Mall. To Midtown Plaza, Rochester, New York. From: Dale Clark & Associates. Berth 206, Terminal Island.”

An inscription on the bottom of Rochester's iconic Clock of Nations marks its delivery to Midtown Plaza. The clock is being restored at Tower 280 not far from where it stood in Midtown Plaza from 1962 to 2008. The rotating clock is made up of 12 capsules containing puppets representing different nationalities living in Rochester.
Max Schulte
/
WXXI News
An inscription on the bottom of Rochester's iconic Clock of Nations marks its delivery to Midtown Plaza. The clock is being restored at Tower 280 not far from where it stood in Midtown Plaza from 1962 to 2008. The rotating clock is made up of 12 capsules containing puppets representing different nationalities living in Rochester.

Midtown was the first downtown indoor mall in the United States, and it attracted international attention when it opened in 1962, with the clock as its centerpiece.

The clock remained until the mall closed in 2008, and was demolished. From there it moved to the airport for a time, then to storage — in an unconditioned building where it has sat the past eight years.

“By returning this significant piece of Rochester's history to its original downtown neighborhood, the project not only promotes a sense of place but also offers unique educational opportunities,” read a statement from the Community Foundation. “The clock's public display, accompanied by historical narratives, aligns with the Community Foundation’s goal of leveraging historical assets for educational purposes.”

Jesus Mercado paints one of the 12 pods representing nations featured on Rochester's iconic Clock of Nations on Dec. 13, 2024. The clock is being restored at Tower 280 not far from where it stood in Midtown Plaza from 1962 to 2008.
Max Schulte
/
WXXI News
Jesus Mercado paints one of the 12 pods representing nations featured on Rochester's iconic Clock of Nations on Dec. 13, 2024. The clock is being restored at Tower 280 not far from where it stood in Midtown Plaza from 1962 to 2008.

Glazer and Peacock also teamed up on a monorail display in the building next door to Tower 280. Bringing back the clock was a logical next step.

“There’s a lot of history behind it, a lot of memories,” said Glazer, whose late father Larry Glazer started the redevelopment of Midtown and Tower 280, in particular.

His memories of the clock are mainly from photographers, but he continued: “This is a really neat thing that should be on display for, you know, parents and grandparents to show their kids. And, you know, it’ll be here forever then.”

Whether the dancing marionettes of the Clock of Nations will move again remains to be seen. The clock needs significant mechanical and electrical repairs. The iconic clock is being restored at Tower 280 not far from where it stood in Midtown Plaza from 1962 to 2008.
Max Schulte
/
WXXI News
Whether the dancing marionettes of the Clock of Nations will move again remains to be seen. The clock needs significant mechanical and electrical repairs. The iconic clock is being restored at Tower 280 not far from where it stood in Midtown Plaza from 1962 to 2008.

Brian Sharp is WXXI's investigations and enterprise editor. He also reports on business and development in the area. He has been covering Rochester since 2005. His journalism career spans nearly three decades.