THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, July 1, 1996 TAG: 9606300321
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: Larry Maddry
LENGTH: 77 lines
THE ASSIGNMENT is to renovate a clock with four faces, each more than 7 feet tall. And it's no ordinary clock.
It's housed in the tower of a building constructed as a replica of Independence Hall in Philadelphia.
Yep, that would be Pennsylvania House, a structure listed in the National Historic Register. It's a two-thirds scale replica built for the Jamestown Exposition of 1907. The building, at the Norfolk Naval Base, is being renovated by the Navy at a cost of $1.8 million.
That means the clock faces - weathered, rotting and rusting - have to be restored.
A big portion of the clock work fell to W.E. ``Zeke'' Davenport, owner of Owen Pattern, Foundry & Manufacturing Co., which has made everything from the huge seal of the Commonwealth of Virginia beneath the rotunda in the state Capitol to metal zipper tags for Ralph Lauren jackets.
Davenport and his employees do good work. At a profit if they can, at a loss if they must, but always good work. In addition, the boss has an emotional attachment to the clock project.
``My father was a young practicing physician living in Abingdon at the time of the exposition, and he came to Norfolk to see it,'' Davenport recalled.
The festival celebrated the 300th anniversary of the first permanent English settlement in America. It was held in Norfolk because there were no facilities in Jamestown for the thousands of visitors expected.
While attending the exposition, Davenport's father purchased a souvenir plate illustrated with a scene showing Pocahontas intervening to prevent the beheading of Capt. John Smith by her father.
``My father brought the metal plate home to my mother,'' Davenport said. ``I have it at my house.''
The Pennsylvania House was one of many buildings bearing state names built for the exposition. More than 100 buildings were constructed for the festival, and they were filled with educational exhibits ranging from a coal mining demonstration to an exact-scale replica of the Panama Canal that was a full block long.
While Davenport's father was at the exposition, he must have heard the clock sound the hours. Its bell could be heard from any point on the grounds. The clock is a Seth Thomas dated April 19, 1907.
Standing in the clutter of heavy machinery in one of the foundry buildings, Davenport reached for one of four sets of the original clock hands and showed them to me.
Painted black, they are made of wood. The minute hand is 41 inches long. The hour hand is 29 inches.
``Amazing that they should last so long,'' Davenport said. He said the hands were made of western red cedar.
The new hands are being made of aluminum, anodized for protection from the weather. But, like the other foundry pieces, they will otherwise be exact duplicates.
The numerals and the ring surrounding the dial had to be replaced because of rust, which had caused them to fall apart in places.
``We're replacing (them) with a bronze ring and numerals, which will have a nice patina in time,'' Davenport said.
Each ring with numerals attached weighs about 350 pounds and has a diameter of 83 inches. Each numeral is 15 inches high.
H.J. Huelsberg, owner of Clocks Unlimited in Norfolk, is in charge of the clock restoration. ``The reason we chose aluminum and bronze for the hands and ring is that they will be self-maintaining,'' he said. Plexiglass panels will replace the old glass ones on the dial, he noted.
The clock restoration project began about six weeks ago, Huelsberg said. It is expected to be completed early this week as part of a general renovation of Pennsylvania House.
When the renovation is completed in 1997, Pennsylvania House - which was formerly used as the Hampton Roads Naval Museum - will be used for meetings and receptions. ILLUSTRATION: JIM WALKER
The Virginian-Pilot
W.E. "Zeke" Davenport woth one of the four faces of the clock tower
being renovated at the Norfolk Naval Base. by CNB