That iconic clock here on First Avenue just north of East 14th Street has been providing the time for generations of New Yorkers dating back to 1786, and...
OK. That's not true. I did like the clock though. The building was (is!) really awful, though, with an out-of-place suburban look... Always surprised that no one came along and built 20 stories of condo on top...
... but I liked the clock! (it was actually 10:12 when I took this photo a few years ago...)
Anyway! By now you have likely guessed correctly that the clock is gone... as this photo from EVG reader Joe shows...
Now, for generations, we will only know that it's Duane Reade time. Again.
h/t to Pinch for mentioning that the clock was gone in the comments last night...
Sad, but whenever I want the wrong time I just check the Con Ed tower.
ReplyDeleteHow is Marty going to get back to the future now??
ReplyDeleteIt must have been that they figured who needs a big ol' clock when you're open 24 hours. Yeah, that must've been it.
ReplyDelete@ pinhead & Hey19
ReplyDeleteHa! Excellent....
Hadn't planned to shop there anyway - I'm on old McKay's/CVS girl myself - but now there is no way I will ever set foot in the place. Hottentots.
ReplyDeleteThe Duane Reade story, via Wiki:
ReplyDeleteFounded in 1960, the chain was started with three stores by Abraham, Eli, and Jack Cohen, with a warehouse located between Duane and Reade streets on Broadway in Lower Manhattan.
The Cohen family sold Duane Reade to Bain Capital in 1992 "for a reported $239 million". Bain Capital in 1997 then sold majority ownership of the chain to DLJ.
Duane Reade completed its initial public offering (IPO) on February 10, 1998, trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol DRD. On August 2, 2004, the company announced it was acquired by Oak Hill Capital Partners and was again a private company.
In November 2008, Duane Reade began rolling out a new logo. In April 2009, Duane Reade hired DeVito/Verdi as its lead advertising agency.
On April 9, 2010, Duane Reade was acquired by the Walgreen Company for $623 million.
The part that Wiki left out got filled in by my wife, who's a really careful shopper: prices at Duane Reade jumped some 25-30% after Walgreens bought them.
I like clocks. It's always too bad when an outdoor clock is removed.
ReplyDeleteLooks like I'm stuck here in the past. What a bunch of clock suckers!
ReplyDeleteIs the clock still under there? it looks like they just outfitted it with a new skin. I mean, if they went to the trouble to have a new sign fashioned, why is it the same size and shape?
ReplyDelete