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Steinway Clock Still Out For Repair

Aug. 28, 2015 By Jackie Strawbridge

Steinway Street may have a few more months to wait on the return of its historic sidewalk clock, after it left for repairs almost a year ago.

The clock has stood at 30-78 Steinway Street since 1922 and was designated a City landmark in the ‘80s. Last October, its clock face was knocked off after a truck backed into it, according to the Central Astoria Local Development Coalition.

An empty chain fence with a naked electric box remain on the sidewalk, alluding to the clock’s absence.

George Stamatiades, president of the CALDC board, said that repairs are wrapping up on the clock and they are aiming to have it reinstalled before November.

“We can’t wait to get it back,” Stamatiades said. “Everybody’s looking for it.”

“It’s an asset to our neighborhood,” Florence Koulouris, district manager of Community Board 1, said. “The people of the community look to see this piece for the beauty that it has and the historic value, and we’ll be very excited to get it back.”

steinway1-277x3801 Per the Landmarks Preservation Commission’s designation report, the Steinway Clock is one of a handful in the city that “represent an increasingly rare sampling of a type of street amenity that once proliferated.”

“They are, in most cases, masterpieces of cast-iron workmanship, beautifully designed, and prominent sidewalk landmarks,” the report continued.

In 2007, the clock was refurbished after years of disrepair, according to published reports from the time.

“The landmark clock on Steinway Street has been one of the true gems of Astoria since long before it was given landmark status in 1981. The piece is an integral part of Astoria’s growing artistic and cultural landscape,” Councilman Costa Constantinides said. “We were sad to see the clock knocked down last year and look forward to its full repair and return.”