Louisville Clock Work Slows Due to Cold Weather, Remains on Track

Work on moving the Louisville Clock to Theater Square downtown has paused for the winter.City crews have removed an earthen berm and filled in a fountain on Theater Square to make room for the long dormant clock. The structure is a work of folk art and is sometimes called the Derby Clock, as it features mechanical horses running around a track.The structure will be moved in the spring, but until then workers are repainting the clock and replacing analog timekeeping mechanisms with digital clockwork.“We decided instead of bringing it down to Theater Square and letting it sit out there in the cold, let's keep it out at Bowman Field for the time being and bring it down when the weather turns better again," says architect Steve Wiser. “The bandstand figurines, up in the bandstand, we had to repaint those, so that's happening right now. We're missing some aluminum panels, we're having to replace those. The computer program that helps this thing operate, that's a major issue right now. We're dealing with that aspect of it.”Wiser says the new, digitized Louisville Clock will be more reliable, and it's maintenance will be paid for with private funds. It is still scheduled to begin running by this year's Kentucky Derby.