Does anybody really know what time it is? Does anyone at city hall really care?
The near-50-year-old dual-sided analog clock affixed to the top of city hall’s Susan A. Thompson administration building often malfunctions and displays the incorrect time on one or both sides for long stretches… of time.
“Since my time at city hall now, which is going on six years… it seems to be in disrepair (often),” said Coun. Markus Chambers.
Ruth Bonneville /Free Press
The clock on top of the Susan Thompson Building, overlooking the courtyard at Winnipeg City Hall has scaffolding on it due to repair work.
Chambers (St. Norbert-Seine River) said he is concerned the 3.6 metre-by3.6 metre timepiece, a gift from the Molson brewing company to celebrate the city’s centennial, unveiled on Sept. 16, 1974, hurts Winnipeg’s image.
“It is a bit of an embarrassment, in the sense that a downtown iconic building… that represents city government can’t get the time right,” he said.
While the clock’s face to the north showed the correct time Tuesday afternoon, the south face overlooking the city hall courtyard — partially obscured by scaffolding — was off by several hours.
A Free Press request to a city municipal accommodations official for comment was declined, but in an email, city spokesman Kalen Qually confirmed the clock began having problems in 2019 “when it became clear a number of parts needed to be replaced.”
“In 2020, we were able to purchase new gear boxes from the original manufacturer and also repaired a mechanical part that supports the hands on the clock. Following these repairs, the clock had been running properly until earlier this summer when we had an issue with the bushing supporting the big hand on the clock,” Qually wrote.
The support issue has now been repaired and the clock should be reset to the correct time sometime this week, he added.
Qually said rough weather conditions caused additional damage over the summer.
“We believe part of the issues experienced this summer is due to wind getting behind the hands of the clock. Part of this summer’s maintenance was making a modification that will prevent further wind damage behind the clock hands,” he wrote.
Chambers said he hopes the latest repair will last longer than previous service efforts. He recalled multiple occasions since being elected to council when the clock worked for just a few days at a time before it either displayed incorrect time or stopped functioning altogether.
“It is a bit of an embarrassment, in the sense that a downtown iconic building… that represents city government can’t get the time right.”–Coun. Markus Chambers
“You’re leaving city hall and it says 11 o’clock, when you know it’s 5:30,” he said, adding the clock is part of Winnipeg’s history and worth repairing.
Coun. Evan Duncan agreed.
“We should do what we can to preserve (it),” said Duncan (Charleswood-Tuxedo-Westwood).
But if it is to get stuck on just one time of day, he joked the city could choose an hour people look forward to.
“We could always set it to 5 p.m., so it’s 5 o’clock somewhere,” said Duncan.
An Exchange District resident, who did not want his name published, said he’s noticed the clock displaying inaccurate times for at least five years and has reported the issue to the city several times this summer.
“I just think it’s ridiculous, first of all, that on the top of city hall… there’s this monstrosity that is useless. If it doesn’t tell time, why is it up there?” he said.
“Fundamentally and symbolically, it just doesn’t instil confidence in city government if they can’t even have a properly functioning clock on top of their building.”
Another Winnipegger said she’d also like the clock fixed but understands if the city deems it a less-urgent priority than fixing potholes or completing other repairs.
“I think it will get fixed, eventually… I think (the delay) just says that we have a lot of other problems that need to be dealt with,” said Rachel Parker.
“We could always set it to 5 p.m., so it’s 5 o’clock somewhere.”–Coun. Evan Duncan
The clock’s value lies in its history, she said, since most Winnipeggers now have cellphones or other options to quickly check the time.
The clock has “absolutely” become part of the city’s heritage over the past 50 years, said Konrad Krahn, Winnipeg’s city archivist.
“It’s very important to the city and I think that if it was removed, citizens would certainly feel that as a loss… It really is one of a kind. It has that mid-century modern look and feel to it,” said Krahn.
The clock’s design was quite modern for its time, with a size meant to ensure visibility and “heavy-duty construction” aimed to withstand strong winds, said Krahn.
“I think it adds something to that building, too. That building’s pretty drab, with heavy concrete… When you have that bright clock that fits the building and the esthetic of the building, I think it’s quite important to it,” he said.
joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca
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Joyanne Pursaga
Reporter
Joyanne is city hall reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. A reporter since 2004, she began covering politics exclusively in 2012, writing on city hall and the Manitoba Legislature for the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in early 2020. Read more about Joyanne.
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