An architect designed custom clocks for Pennsylvania’s Capitol a century ago. They’re still ticking

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HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The Capitol buildings always have an imposing presence. It is the seat of government, and tends to be elegant and stately – often topped with a dome.

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Visitors to the Pennsylvania Capitol are drawn to its priceless artwork, polished marble and intricate carvings, but behind the doors of some of its most ornate offices and rooms lies another treasure: hundreds of antique clocks that were part of its original design.

The 273 clocks include many clocks built into the fireplace mantels and other building features.

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They are not low maintenance, requiring regular oiling and occasional mechanical repairs.

And every week, in a throwback to a time before wristwatches and cell phones, clock-winding machines roam the halls – ensuring that century-old timekeepers keep ticking.

One morning, Bethany Gill demonstrated how it’s done — moving from room to room using a set of ladders and custom tools. She opens the glass covers, turns the mechanisms enough to keep them running for about a week, and checks their accuracy before moving on to the next mechanism.

Gill is a former art student who works at Johnson & Griffiths Studio, a Harrisburg company that just received a five-year, $526,000 filling and maintenance contract renewal from the Capitol Preservation Commission.

She’s also a lifelong clock fan and looks forward to the semi-annual shifts between daylight saving time and Eastern Standard Time.

Why?

“My dad was a watch collector growing up,” Gill said. “And every Sunday we would go around the house and turn the clocks. It was always a nice thing I did with my father.

The Pennsylvania State Capitol was designed by architect Joseph M. Houston, who won a design competition in 1901 with a vision of a temple to democracy—an artistic palace that would be as fanciful as what would then be found in Europe.

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Among countless other subtle touches, Houston designed no fewer than 180 custom clock cases, including smaller so-called master clocks that were shaped to remind people of the early and crucial role Pennsylvania played in shaping the United States, leaving them with Keystone title. state.

“The clocks are just part of the reason the building is so unique and complex,” said Jason Wilson, historian for the Capitol Preservation Commission. “All the shelves surrounding the watches were custom designed.”

Every now and then, the clocks, most of which are made of mahogany or stained mahogany, are carefully removed from their places around the Capitol and transported to a facility for cleaning, maintenance and repair. They seem to work best when they remain infected.

The Houston architect achieved his goal. The Capitol is a masterpiece that attracts thousands of visitors each year as 253 state legislators gather to discuss and pass legislation.

While the buildings and clocks are his lasting legacy, Houston was convicted of conspiring to defraud the state during the Capitol construction project and spent several months in another Pennsylvania landmark, Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia.

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