Photo courtesy of Barton-Clay Jewelers.
The clock outside Barton-Clay Fine Jewelers
The clock outside Barton-Clay Fine Jewelers at its current Lane Parke location. Photo by Solomon Crenshaw Jr. Right: The clock in its original position in front of the jeweler’s longtime Cahaba Road address in Mountain Brook Village. When Barton-Clay moved to Lane Parke, owner Eric McClain took the clock with him.
Is it time for a second clock in or near Mountain Brook Village?
That was the subject of a discussion at a recent pre-council meeting of the Mountain Brook City Council. Owners of the Arlington Building approached the council about the possibility of them erecting a clock in the city’s right-of-way on the corner in front of the building at 2701 Cahaba Road.
That building is where Barton-Clay Fine Jewelers operated for many years before moving to its current location in newly developed Lane Parke. Attorney Phillip Curry, representing the owner of the historic building on Cahaba Road, sought a right-of-way encroachment agreement to erect a free-standing clock with the owner paying for maintenance and electricity.
A right-of-way encroachment agreement wasn’t required when Barton-Clay owner Eric McClain installed the original clock in 1995 when the building was constructed. McClain erected his clock in Lane Parke when the jeweler moved to 330 Rele Street. The original clock initially had Rolex on it but began bearing the name Barton-Clay and its iconic logo when the jeweler no longer sold that brand of watch.
McClain opposes having a second clock nearby, saying the original clock has always been synonymous with the image of his business.
“Three years ago, we sold the building,” he said. “We took the clock, because it was ours, and he sued us. He lost. The clock has been in Lane Parke since we moved to Lane Parke.
“That clock is a part of our image and I don’t want another clock on that corner,” McClain said. “It would create a lot of confusion as to where Barton-Clay Jewelers actually is. They already have a lot of people going in there [the Cahaba Road building]. We’ve spent hundreds of thousands of dollars advertising, but you still have those people [who say], ‘Oh, I didn’t know you moved.’ Then they find us [because], ‘I saw your clock.’”
Photo courtesy of CommerceOne Bank.
The flowerbed in front of the Arlington Building at 2701 Cahaba Road in Mountain Brook Village, where Barton-Clay’s clock once stood.
The flowerbed in front of the Arlington Building at 2701 Cahaba Road in Mountain Brook Village, where Barton-Clay’s clock once stood. The building’s current owner has proposed installing a new clock in the space, a request that has drawn opposition from Barton-Clay owner Eric McClain and is now headed to village design review.
McClain said the owner of the Cahaba Road building, now home to CommerceOne Bank and Well, is “trying to poke at us.” He added that the recently installed roundabout would make installing a clock there dangerous for motorists.
“It’s already dangerous,” he said, “but with them looking up at a clock right there beside them, it’s going to create even more confusion.”
Council President Billy Pritchard said his only issue is with the new clock bearing the name Arlington. He said he would prefer the name be removed if the new clock were to be installed. Lloyd Shelton was concerned about the new clock going into the city’s right-of-way. Gerald Gann saw no problem putting a clock where one previously stood, “especially if they maintain and preserve it.”
Curry asked if moving the new clock out of the right-of-way and onto his client’s property would make a difference. Dana Hazen, director of planning, building and sustainability, said the request, as presented, would be a sign and thus would have to go before Village Design Review.
“Moving it a foot would not solve the need for an encroachment agreement,” she said.
The council recommended the matter go to Village Design Review before coming back to the council for consideration. At press time, the matter had not come back to the council.
