Check out the Vintage Photos of the floral clock from the 60s in Birmingham and which Alabama City has one now – Al.com

In 1963, not long after the official opening of Botanic gardens in Birmingham, a new feature was added: a working clock made of flowers. It is modeled on a clock in Canada and is the first of its kind in the United States, according to an article in 1963 by Birmingham News.

The 26 -to -3 watch watch was donated by local philanthropist Catherine Hammond and was installed in front of the BBG Conservatory. Conservatory’s construction began in September 1961 and opened to visitors in December 1962, according to Alabama’s encyclopedia.

See photos in the gallery at the top of this story.

When the front clock is over, it quickly became a popular attraction.

In October 1963, the Birmingham News Walling Keith colosting wrote that “it’s worth a visit to the botanical gardens just to see the clock itself.”

A June 1963 article in Birmingham New York quotes former Birmingham Mayor Jimmy Morgan that the watch costs $ 15,000 to build and install. There were underground watches in a small cement building.

In his book, See Alabama First: The History of Tourism in Alabama, author Tim Holis says that the face of the clock consists of 5,000 flowers with a 12-foot minute hand. The floral arrangements were changed seasonally.

“The floral clock remained the emblem of Botanic Gardens in Birmingham until 1995, when it was removed due to the deteriorating interior works,” Holis said.

Fairhope floral clock

These days, locals and visitors can still see a floral clock in Alabama. In 2013, the Fairhop City built a 30-foot floral watch, according to an article at Al.com.

The watch is installed on the northwest slope of the intersection of North Section Street and Alabama Highway 104 to welcome visitors to Fairhop. The costs will be shared by the city and the Committee on Public Art on the Eastern Coast of the Association of Arts.

The Committee on Public Art paid $ 17,000 for the design, the mechanism of the clock and the hands. The city was responsible for starting costs as well as for the annual maintenance, which is about $ 13,000.