Groundbreaking Date Set For Rochester’s Historic Clock Tower
Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - A fundraising campaign is ongoing but a groundbreaking ceremony has been scheduled later this month for the historic Rochester Clock Tower.
The tower was first erected in 1898 atop the Central Fire Station, which was located approximately in the middle of South Broadway, which came to a dead-end between 4th and 6th Streets where the Zumbro River previously ran. The iconic clock was installed the following year and remained in place until 1930 when the Central Fire Station was torn down to allow for the expansion of Broadway across the Zumbro River.
The clock has since been put on display at three different locations. The most recent was in front of the Mayo Civic Center until its latest expansion. The late Alan Calavano, a well-known local historian, made the restoration of the clock and the construction of a new tower to house it at Fire Station 1 in downtown Rochester his mission before his death in 2016 and donated $100,000 to the cause.
The groundbreaking ceremony for the clock tower project will be held on the afternoon of May 16 near its original location at Fire Station 1. Community members and businesses can support the project by purchasing a paver, recognition on a plaque wall, and cash donations. More information is available at RochClockTower.org.
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