Zion's First National Bank Clock, First South & Main Streets, Salt Lake City

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS UTAH,18-SALCI,12A-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

This elegant "Street furniture" in the downtown area of Salt Lake City is approximately 100 years old. PART I. HISTORICAL INFORMATION: A. Physical History: 1. Original and Subsequent Owners: 2ion's First National Bank 2. Date of Erection c. B. Historical Events and Persons Associated with the Building: # No record exists of when it was first put up, but tradition has it that the clock was brought to Salt Lake City in a wagon pulled by oxen. The original owner is unknown. It was probably erected on its present site sometime in the since photographs of this corner taken in do not show it, and one taken in shows the clock erected and running, already a city landmark. The original works were driven by a water wheel. Later the water wheel was replaced with a spring drive. Mr.

Boud remembers winding the springs (four large ones) every five days. Still later, the sr*ring drive was abandoned for a series of wet cell batteries. Every six months Mr. Charles Spahr of Western Union would change the solution in the cells. The batteries were kept in the basement of the bank near the vault. Just prior to a master clock system was installed in the bank and the old clock was connected to it. Probably it was at this time that the works were replaced with International Business Machine gears. For many years IBM serviced the clock. Lee Robbins of the IBM typewriter division did the servicing. Later Mr. Lowell Aylworth of Simplex Time Recorder Company took over this job. ZION'S FIRST NATIONAL BANK CLOCK HABS No. u-48 (Page 2) C. Sources of Information: