Sign of the Times – The Clock on Columbia

They say history repeats itself, and if any neighborhood can attest to this, it's Carroll Gardens. Once a thriving locale that fell into disrepair around mid-century, Carroll Gardens is back in full swing and is, some will say, better than ever.

Real estate broker Frank Manzione witnessed all the ups and downs and is now on a mission to restore a long lost piece of Carroll Gardens' turbulent, exciting history – a decorative clock that once stood proudly on Columbia Street, near the corner of Union.

Probably erected at the turn of the century, but possibly as late as the 1920's, and perhaps made of brass but whose material composition is ultimately a mystery, the recreation will be, in Manzione's mind, the perfect symbol of the Columbia Waterfront District's "resurrection."

Prior to the construction of the BQE in the 1960's, Columbia Street boasted a rich collection of businesses, and banks, including the First National City Bank, the first Thom McAn shoe store and various ethnic Italian and Jewish specialty food stores – "a wonderful mix," as Manzione said. The Polly-O cheese company even got its start there.

"You'd come here for the various delicacies. You name it, it was here," he said. "This whole entire area was very populated... had a lot of merchants, stores, a lot of mom-and-pop operations."

He describes what was once a lively, bustling center of commerce. "The area was sort of what you'd see on Court Street today," he explained. "There was no Court street as you'd know it today."

"In this area, there was a clock... one of those large, nice decorative clocks. You'd see it from a block or two away. It was a mainstay in the area," Manzione said. "As a matter of fact," he continues, referring to the Columbia Terrace Condominiums, "when they decided to build the condos in the area, they used the clock as their 'theme,' so to speak."

As time went on and economic conditions changed, and construction efforts limited pedestrian and vehicular traffic, ultimately sealing the fate of many local businesses, "the area really took a turn for the worst," said Manzione. "Many of the merchants moved to Court Street, or other sections of Brooklyn or closed up entirely."

The neighborhood experienced a rise in crime and continued to deteriorate throughout the 70s, Manzione said.

"And with that, the clock was dismantled, and God knows where it went," he added.

The goal of bringing back the clock, which would be newly built from scratch and not a restoration, would be to symbolize how the neighborhood has come "full circle."

"Growing up, I remember the clock vaguely," says lifelong resident Camille Sacco Milea. "It was there for a long time, on Columbia between Union and President. The Brooklyn Waterfront was alive and well, pushcarts were in the street... there was so much vitality."

Then, she said, the Gowanus canal sewer pump project was initiated, and "the building foundations were damaged... they tore them down and declared eminent domain."

Younger generations also see the clock playing a symbolic role. Victoria Hagman, owner of Realty Collective, which bought Manzione Real Estate several years ago, says she hopes it will help restore or maybe even re-create the neighborhood's identity.

"As a preservationist, I think the clock never should have left the neighborhood in the first place, because it is representative of  the identity of the neighborhood, and as someone that lives here, I think it's important to create our own sense of our  community, since the other neighborhoods have orphaned us," she says, referring to the BQE's dividing of the area from Red Hook and the rest of Carroll Gardens, and various terms that have been given to the area, including "Carroll Gardens West," a little-known and scarcely used real estate term.

"The clock is a signifier of an existing community that lives here because we want to, and we love the Columbia Waterfront District," she said.

Manzione has always seen the neighborhood's potential. In the 1980's, he moved his office from its location on Smith Street to it's current location at 223 Columbia, and explains that he had high hopes – and expectations – for the neighborhood.

"I always had a feeling that this area would be good real estate, and I proved myself correct," he said optimistically.

The project is in its infant stages, but The Carroll Gardens Association, a non-profit organization, is interested in participating in efforts to restore the landmark, as are merchants on Union Street and various other local business owners.

"They're pretty much all involved in it," said Manzione, adding that there will be fundraising efforts to cover the costs of the clock as well as permits.

Manzione envisions the new clock still right on Columbia Street, but this time it would be erected outside Manzione Real Estate, which he says is not entirely as a self-seeking gesture. His photograph of the clock, a black and white scan that is seemingly the last surviving visual record left of it, also shows a row of storefronts behind it, which have since been replaced by condominiums.

"I think it would be great right here. It would be visible to people coming up and down Columbia street," he said. "But if someone comes up with another idea that would be fine with me also," he added.

"I think it's great," says Milea. "If you speak to any of the store owners around here they'll say the same."

For Manzione, erecting a new clock would be both a look forward and a nod to history.

"I want to show that the neighborhood has come back," he said. "We've come a long way."