It’s temporarily shielded by scaffolding. But the bronze clock sticking out from a building at 32nd Street is still a curious sight.
It features a silkworm and leaves motif is topped by a wizard with a wand and a blacksmith hammering a sword.
What story is the clock telling? Called the Silk Clock, it depicts a scene from King Arthur, according to a 1996 New York Times article.
On the hour, the wizard’s wand hits the blacksmith’s head. Then, another figure, The Lady on the Lake, briefly emerges.
The 1936 clock was built by the building’s original owner, Schwarzbock Looms—hence the silk in the name.
Tags: cool clocks of New York City, King Arthur in New York City, Park Avenue South, Schwarzbock Looms, Silk Clock, wizard clock
October 28, 2010 at 3:21 pm |
http://www.14to42.net/32street2.3.html
This will help to clarify the tale of the silk clock!
October 28, 2010 at 11:41 pm |
Ah, the Queen of Silk, I like that. Thank you for the link! I tried to access that 1926 NYT article last night but it wasn’t letting me complete the purchase.
October 29, 2010 at 1:58 pm |
Just a side note…but you should check out the building on the southeast corner of Prince and Lafayette. They are power washing the building right now and the change in color is really neat to see.
February 7, 2011 at 6:59 am |
[...] It makes sense: The building was once the headquarters of Schwarzbock looms. Another insect image, a silkworm adorns the building’s beautiful clock. [...]
October 26, 2011 at 10:50 pm |
waited for 35 minutes today to see the clock do it’s thing…it’s broken.
November 7, 2011 at 4:50 am |
[...] animals who helped fill their coffers—like the beaver and squirrel of West 29th Street and the silkworm clock on Park Avenue South. Share this:TwitterLike this:LikeBe the first to like this [...]