Spot A Clock: C.H. Coakley Bros. Building

This month’s ‘Spot a Clock’ is the C.H. Coakley Bros. Building, located at 3742 West Wisconsin Avenue in Milwaukee.

Coakley Bros. (www.chcoakley.com) is one of the longest continually operating businesses in Milwaukee. Three brothers (Charlie, Bill, and George) founded Lightning Delivery and Express in 1888 to provide delivery services from Milwaukee’s rail yards and docks. Charlie and George Coakley started a second delivery businesses, Coakley Bros., shortly thereafter. The business diversified in the 1920s to provide moving, warehousing and storage services. As part of this strategy, Coakley Bros. constructed several warehouses in the city, including this one on Wisconsin Avenue.

C.H. Coakley Bros. Building, located at 3742 West Wisconsin Avenue in Milwaukee.

C.H. Coakley Bros. Building, located at 3742 West Wisconsin Avenue in Milwaukee.

This building was constructed in 1929. The building was designed by Alexander Eschweiler, a prominent Milwaukee architect. Mr. Eschweiler designed several noted Milwaukee landmarks, including the Wisconsin Gas Building. The Coakley Bros. Building features several interesting architectural details, such as decorative tile, ironwork, copper, and terra cotta.

The clock movement was a Seth Thomas Model No. 6 movement, serial number 2669. The Seth Thomas factory records, available through the NAWCC website, provides details regarding the production of the clock movement and the custom dials.

Unfortunately, the current building owners indicate the movement is no longer in the building, having been removed at some unknown time. A new dial and movement were recently installed, so the clock at least continues to display time to the surrounding community.

If you would like to suggest a clock for the newsletter’s ‘Spot a Clock’, please contact Ed Buc at the Chapter meetings or by email.

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Our next Mart will be on March 10th, 2024

Presidents Message,

We will continue to need some help setting up and taking down.  So arrive at 9:00 and help setup and stay after the educational talk to help return the room in the condition we found it in.  Thank you for your help in this.

Opens at 9:00 for setup and mart.
Robert Olney will be demonstrating glass cutting beginning at 10:00 during the mart.
Educational talk at 11:00.
Cleanup at 12:00.

We need a new secretary.  The main job is just to put this newsletter together.  Please offer to help so no one is overburdened, only takes around an hour per meeting.

We have some demonstrations planned for upcoming meetings as follows:

  • Mar – Glass cutting (Robert Olney)
  • May – Re-pivoting clock and watch arbors (Dempsey)
  • Sep– Balance staff and hairspring replacement (Dempsey)
  • Nov – Winding clock & watch mainsprings (Osterud/Dempsey)
  • Jan – Resilver dials (White)

We had to presentations at our February mart. Harry Schultz gave a talk on Making a Calendar Wheel to replace a damaged wheel from an English Tall Case Clock.  He created a “simple” dividing plate and used it to layout his part.  He then cut the teeth with a splitting saw and jewelers saw.  After the part was cut Harry then filed it to shape and fitted it to the clock. Thanks Harry for this informative talk.

Michael Figueira discussed letting down the spring on a 1986 vintage Elgin 400-day clock.  This clock is known as a German time bomb.  It received this nickname from its less than obvious way to let down the tension in the mainspring. Letting the spring down incorrectly can cause the clock to rapidly disintegrate. Mike has successfully let down the spring, rebuilt the movement and currently keeps the clock in his wife’s sewing room for some reason. It is kept away from where his wife sits!

Thanks to Harry and Michael for these informative talks.

“A group of timepiece enthusiasts is gathering weekly in Mukwonago on Thursday evenings through April 11. The group consists mainly of former students of the defunct WCTC community extracurricular education program, and is seeking to expand its attendance with anyone who has an interest in learning about timepieces OR SHARING THEIR KNOWLEDGE. Currently, the meetings are BYOC (bring your own clock). As the attendees work on their timepieces, they share advice and opinions, troubleshoot and converse. If interested in attending, contact Kevin Schultz at usmc2nbpd@yahoo.com.”

Future educational talks planned:

  • March 10 – Danno will make a Presentation on Renaissance and other Clocks at the Milwaukee Art Museum.
  • May 19 – Craig White will make a presentation “Restoring a Scottish Musical Tall Case Clock”
  • Sept 22 – Amelia Osterud will give a talk entitled “Chauncey Jerome vs PT Barnum: The Great Bankruptcy of 1856”
  • Nov 17 – ?

We still need a volunteers for talks for 2024 & 2025.  Please contact Harry Schulz or myself with ideas or suggestions.  

Free tables!!  A free silent auction table will also be available.  We had some more clocks donated which the chapter will be selling at the silent auction table.

Hope to see you all there.
Thanks,
Craig

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