By Vivian Conan

Jun. 1, 2016:  The stately Tiffany grandfather clock that graces the staircase landing of the Bronxville Public Library chimed the hour faithfully from 1942 until 1999, when it was put into storage while the library was being renovated.  

Upon its return two years later, it was still beautiful but no longer kept time. Now, after years of silence, not only is it chiming again, its elegant case details have also been restored to their original splendor, thanks to a generous gift from the Friends of the Bronxville Public Library. 

The clock was a gift of Helen Genung Campbell in memory of her parents, Merwin E. and Louise R. Genung, when the Pondfield Road building opened in 1942. It is a replica of a clock made in 1790 by Simon Willard, a celebrated Massachusetts clockmaker. (The original resides in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.)  

The exterior—solid mahogany hand-rubbed to a satin finish, with inlaid marquetry—was restored by Florentine Antique Restoration in Connecticut. The interior "works," including pendulum and pivots, were dismantled and attended to by Horologist of London in Ridgefield, CT. The brass now gleams and the marquetry details are visible for the first time in decades. This elegant gentleman, who has watched over the comings and goings of Bronxville Library patrons for nearly seventy-five years, is ready to preside over generations to come. 

Children climbing the stairs to the children's room noticed the clock's absence right away and are glad to have it back, as are the staff and patrons. The clock's eighteenth-century grandeur seems not at all out of place in a Georgian building that provides state-of-the-art Internet connectivity. Its melodious chimes, different patterns for the hour, half hour, and quarter hour, remind us of a gentler time and the history of our special library. 

Pictured here:  The Tiffany grandfather clock in the staircase landing of the Bronxville Public Library.

Photo by A. Warner