Time catches up to historic downtown Lethbridge clock
By Tim Kalinowski on April 1, 2021.
Photo courtesy of Sumus Property Group Ltd.
Just in time for April Fool's Day, Lethbrige's historic downtown post office building is getting a modernization.LETHBRIDGE HERALDtkalinowski@lethbridgeherald.com
The historic clock at the Post building downtown will be retired in favour of a new computerized model.
Citing escalating costs to maintain the current clock, Sumus Property Group Ltd., who last year bought the Canada Post building, also known as the J.D. Higginbotham building, confirmed the transition in a statement released to the Lethbridge Herald late Wednesday afternoon.
“Not many know that the clock is still powered by a gravity-fed mechanism,” the statement reads in part. “The only adjustment to the clock in its 100-year history is an electric winch that assists with lifting the weights back to the top of the shaft. This system is historic and delicate, requiring specialists to adjust and tune the mechanism monthly based on weather conditions, and semi-annually for daylight savings.”
Sumus Property Group Ltd. said the changeover of the clock fits in with its other plans to alter the historic building to bring it into the 21st century.
“The modernization of Post is centered around creating an innovation hub for the businesses of Lethbridge,” the company goes on to state. “On that theme, we have decided to remove the aging clock face and replace it with the latest smart technology. This Wi-Fi enabled smart display not only modernizes the clock but adds additional capabilities. Event based graphics, advertisements, and artistic expression are just a few of the possibilities we are excited about.”
The Sumus Group also provided a link for Lethbridge residents to view what the proposed change would look like online at https://postyql.com/digital
The J.D. Higginbotham building was formally dedicated to the posterity of the people of Lethbridge by then Mayor W.D.L Hardie on the first day of April in 1913, and the clock tower has been a central feature of Lethbridge downtown life for over a century.
Follow @TimKalHerald on Twitter
4-3
April Fools !
Hope this is an April Fools joke. A brightly lit digital clock spewing out advertising from way up high will be an intrusion and distraction in our city centre.
Glad this is an April fools joke! That would be horrible.
I seem to remember them playing this April fools a few years ago. New material can be hard to think of but it’s out there. They could say they’re putting 13 street down to one lane… wait a minute they’re actually doing that!