As Greenpoint changes it becomes increasingly important to maintain our links to the past. One of the iconic features of Greenpoint is a permanent piece of street furniture: the large mounted cast iron clock on Manhattan Avenue between Meserole and Norman. The clock is called “The Bomelstein Clock” and it is the last street clock in Brooklyn and one of only four that survive in the city. The clock is not going anywhere—in 1981 it was designated a landmark.
These street clocks first appeared in the 1860’s, but the Bomelstein clock isn’t so old. Manufactured by the Boston-based E. Howard Clock Company, this clock has a rectangular base, fluted columns and two clock faces. Bomelstein’s Jewelers installed this street clock on Manhattan Avenue decades ago as a kind of huge advertisement. Bomelstein’s left in the eighties, but its clock still reminds us of the days when they were the most elegant jewelers in the area. It’s one of those heirlooms that makes Greenpoint unique.
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