SPARTANBURG, S.C. (WSPA) – Spartanburg’s iconic downtown clock tower is set to be moved later this year to make room for a streetscaping project along with a new hotel and mixed-use development. Now, some residents have launched a save the clock movement.
The new development is planned for the block bound by W Main, S Spring, W Broad streets, and S Daniel Morgan Avenue. The City of Spartanburg said, “The streetscaping will allow the new developments to align with existing buildings along W Main, creating a more cohesive curbline and sightline. In order to move the curbline the needed distance, the clock tower, currently located within a median between the two lanes of W Main Street, will need to be removed.”
The city explained while the tower itself only dates back to the 1970’s, the clock it houses has roots that date back to 1881. After spending years in storage, city leaders worked with the Spartanburg Bicentennial Committee to refurbish and modernize the clock’s mechanism and place it inside a newly built clock tower.
“In 1976 my father had been mayor of Spartanburg for three times. He realized the clock was not being used. It was in storage,” said Wesley Stoddard, son of former Spartanburg Mayor Robert Stoddard. “So, he approached City Hall and said let’s get the clock out. Let’s get school kids pay as a part of the revolutionary war celebration the 200-year anniversary of this country’s birth.”
He and lifetime resident Tony Eubanks remember when the clock was moved to its current location.
“It was an amazing project for the county and the city,” said Stoddard. “Everybody was a part of it, to have their names inside there today and then to see that the city wants to take it down and just put parts of the clock in a new building that’s just not the same thing.”
“There’s a lot of people that are friends of mine that passed away and this is a legacy to them that they actually raised money to help build the Clock tower,” said Eubanks. “They can bring their kids and their family and show them.”
To honor the clocks history, city manager Chris Story recommended creating an exhibit in the new downtown City-County joint government complex set to start construction next month.
Residents and some council members agree they want the clock honored in a more substantial way.
“It’s important to people,” councilman Jaime Fulmer said. “As we age, the tower takes on a level of historic significance.”
Over 1,400 others have signed a petition to keep the clock tower where it is, hoping the Heritage Act will help.
“The legislature passed a few years ago that you can’t touch monuments that were built an honor of the revolutionary war Civil War anything like that,” Stoddard said.
The city said public feedback over the next few months will help guide their decision. No decision was made regarding the clock or tower on Monday, and city council is expected to take up the issue formally at a later date.
