Rendering of the proposed rebuilt Clock Tower at the entrance of Barnet Park at the corner of East St. John Street and North Converse Street. McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture rendering.
The City of Spartanburg could soon have a new icon on the edge of its downtown – if a measure before the City Council receives approval to rebuild the recently dismantled Clock Tower at the entrance of Barnet Park.
But whether this happens at the park or another site will likely hinge on public input, which Council members will be considering for the next three weeks before taking a first-reading vote.
At the March 23 Council meeting, city officials and architects with McMillan Pazdan Smith explained how the idea would not only be a vast improvement over the former site on West Main Street, but serve as an impetus for bringing new and bigger forms of entertainment to the park.
“We’re seeking a site unlikely to be impacted by a change for generations,” said city manager Chris Story, indicating that the tower has been moved twice before. “We want to avoid any potential for a third movement.”
Additional criteria for the Council and the public to consider include a site owned by the city, a downtown location with high visibility, and an opportunity to advance a major city gathering spot.
“Let it be a positive contributor to enhancing an area of downtown that would benefit from its presence,” Story said. “We’re recommending the Clock Tower become the grand new entrance to this fabulous performance venue.”
William Gray, director of the Spartanburg office of McMillan Pazdan Smith then showed the gathering several renderings of how the park would look with the addition of the Clock Tower.
In the plan, the Tower would dominate the corner of East St. John’s Street and North Converse Street. The existing arbors and all other natural park features would be preserved.
Gray also pointed out that the area surrounding the park and the adjacent Chapman Cultural Center is not only equipped to handle large numbers of visitor parking, but that the tower, if built there, would be far more accessible than before – to the point that people could walk up “and literally touch it.”
“Which was something that was lacking in the prior location,” he said. “And in the former clock tower, the bell was tucked away at the top and you couldn’t see it. In this case, you would actually be able to see the bell as you were walking around the entire site.”
When asked if the new structure would be bigger than the previous one, based on the size shown in the renderings, Gray said in effect that “when we think about dimensions, the former clock tower would literally fit inside this one. It’s that much bigger.”
While initial Council reaction was favorable on many points, initial misgivings about putting the tower at the park were mentioned.
“I’m not a big fan of the location because there is not a lot of foot traffic unless there is an event,” said Councilwoman Erica Brown. “I feel like we should put landmarks in highly visible areas.”
Councilwoman Ruth Littlejohn disagreed, saying that rebuilding the Clock Tower at the park would not only provide it with “more visibility” but be “a great move” for the city.
“During the time it was (on West Main Street), you had to actually go (there) to see it,” she said.
The meeting and presentation was just the first step toward a solution, and comes five months after City officials and citizens against moving the Clock Tower from its previous spot reached an agreement in part to reconstruct it in a new location.
The outcry over its dismantling was evident as 3,811 people signed an original petition to keep the landmark – even on a new site.
“The Clock Tower has become an iconic symbol representing the City – $10,000 of the money used to build it in 1976-79 came from 20,000 school children in a penny-project,” said local attorney Wesley Stoddard in January.
But even though the park location carries the opportunity for the tower to create a city gateway, the major consideration at this point as to where it will ultimately land is hearing from the public – who are encouraged to send thoughts and input to clocktower@cityofspartanburg.org.
Resident comments will be collected and then shared on April 13 with the City Council.
As Councilman Jamie Fulmer summed it up: “There’s a lot for us to consider as we think through this.”
