Streetwise: Time It Was
by Frank Dunnigan
July 2024
Frank Dunnigan, WNP member and columnist. - Even in the western neighborhoods, far from the hustle-and-bustle of downtown. public clocks were often found as part of building displays and advertising signs. There are not quite so many today as there used to be, but they remain a quiet neighborhood presence. Here are just a few of them.
Golden Gate Bridge toll plaza, circa 1960 - Courtesy of a Private Collector.The 8-foot diameter clock at the Golden Gate Bridge Toll Plaza, shown here in 1960, was first installed in 1949—facing both north and southbound traffic—a dozen years after the bridge first opened. The clock was removed and underwent significant maintenance beginning in August 2014, and there was a loud public outcry for the 8 months it was missing from its longtime perch. When it was replaced in April 2015, there were new complaints that the clock was difficult to read, because new number decals had been installed, so a spotlight was added.
Affiliated Colleges, April 17, 1908 - Courtesy of SFMTA Photo Archive.The buildings of the Affiliated Colleges, which eventually became the University of California San Francisco, are shown here in 1908 with a prominent clock above the school’s main entrance facing Parnassus Avenue. These buildings were eventually replaced with newer construction, while the vintage clock has been preserved on the campus.
Read more about it.
Interior of Sutro Baths, April 8, 1900 - Photo by D.H. Wulzen; Wulzen Family Papers / Courtesy of the Golden Gate NRA, Park Archives.Bathers at the Sutro Baths were able to refer to a large rectangular clock on the far wall for a quick time check.
Larkins Building on northwest corner of Geary and Arguello, 1990s - Richmond Review Newspaper Collection / Courtesy of Paul Kozakiewicz, Richmond Review.The Larkins Building, at the northwest corner of Geary and Arguello Boulevards, has long displayed a public clock above the entrance, shown here in the 1990s. Learn more about the long history of this building and its many different tenants over the years in our
SF West History Minute video.
Interior of Argonne Pharmacy, 700 10th Avenue at Cabrillo, 1934 - Marilyn Blaisdell Collection / Courtesy of a Private Collector.This detailed 1934 photo of the interior of Argonne Pharmacy, located at 700 10th Avenue, features a prominent clock on the shelf directly above the woman standing at center.
Hibernia Bank at 1450 Noriega Street at 22nd Avenue, 1976 - AP Wire photo.The Hibernia Bank at 22nd Avenue and Noriega Street, shown here in 1976, long featured a public clock facing the neighborhood shopping district. It was removed in the years after Hibernia’s 1992 acquisition by Bank of America.
East end of Conservatory of Flowers, Golden Gate Park, 1950s - Courtesy of a Private Collector.The Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park has displayed multiple flower bed clocks over the years, including this one in the 1950s.
View north above Geary and Presidio to the Geary Car House, November 30, 1948 - Courtesy of Jack Tillmany.Muni’s building on Geary Boulevard at Masonic Avenue, shown here in 1948, contains a street clock above the arched windows on the structure’s right side near Presidio Avenue.
Associated Gas Station on the corner of Junipero Serra Boulevard and Ocean Avenue, circa 1949 - Courtesy of Bud Sandkulla.The Associated/Flying-A gas station at the southeast corner of Ocean Avenue and Junipero Serra Boulevard is shown decked out for the holidays in the 1940s. The operators even decorated the permanent public clock (just below the words “Merry Christmas”) as a lighted wreath. The station was later modernized, but in the 1970s, it was demolished and replaced with a financial services office.
WNP Office at 1617 Balboa Street, 2023 - Courtesy of Randall Ann Homan.Even the WNP office at 1617 Balboa Street has a public clock on display in its front window with the highly appropriate message: “It’s History Time.” Installed in fall 2023, the clock was designed by Randall Ann Homan of SFNeon, constructed by Jim Rizzo of Neon Works, and funded through San Francisco’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development.
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