Hertzberg Clock downtown restoration story

A downtown San Antonio landmark is keeping time again.

The Hertzberg Clock at North St. Mary's and Houston is ticking again after a recent restoration by the Conservation Society of San Antonio.

The 17-foot cast-iron street clock was crafted by E. Howard & Co. of Boston and first installed in 1878 outside Eli Hertzberg's jewelry business on Commerce Street. It moved to Houston Street in 1910, became one of downtown's classic meeting spots, and was later donated to the Conservation Society in 1982.

The best detail: this is not just decorative nostalgia. It is a hand-wound mechanical clock, and getting it running again required specialized restoration work from New Braunfels clock restorer Benny Courtney.

Next time you are downtown, look up. San Antonio just got one of its old little rituals back: "meet me at the clock."

What other downtown detail should we tell the story of next?