Louisville Clock
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Louisville Clock
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| Architect: | Barney Bright |
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| Dedicated: | December 3, 1976 |
| Dedicated by: | Wilson W. Wyatt |
| Dedicated at: | River City Mall (later the Louisville Galleria and then Fourth Street Live!) |
| Location: | Theatre Square |
The Louisville Clock (often called the Derby Clock) is a 40-foot (12 m) high ornamental clock located on Fourth Street in Louisville, Kentucky. It was designed in the appearance like a gigantic wind-up toy, incorporating themes of Kentucky culture, especially the Kentucky Derby horse race. Eight ornamental columns support an elevated 5-lane race track. At noon each day, a bugle announced the beginning of a race between five hand-carved statues of figures with local significance: George Rogers Clark, Daniel Boone, Thomas Jefferson, King Louis XVI of France, and the Belle of Louisville. Several mechanized sculptures of notable past Louisvillians watched from above in a Victorian-esque gazebo: Mary Anderson, D.W. Griffith, Zachary Taylor, Henry Watterson, and Oliver Cooke.
In 1970, Barney Bright was commissioned to create a major landmark for the city to be located in the new River City Mall development (later the Louisville Galleria, and then Fourth Street Live!). Funds were not allocated initially and River City Mall opened with the space intended for the clock sitting empty.
In 1974, former mayor Wilson W. Wyatt found funding and formed a committee that selected Barney Bright of Louisville to design the clock. Construction began immediately and the clock was dedicated on December 3, 1976 before a crowd of 3,000 people. However the final result was scaled back considerably due to cost.
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Wikipedia