The Story of Brethen Tower & The Callahan Building Clock

The Story of Brethen Tower and The Callahan Building Clock. . , The Callahan Building Clock above you has been a Dayton landmark since 1921. Generations of Daytonians used it to check the time of day and set their watches. They knew where to go when asked to meet "under the clock.” That it still exists today demonstrates the love Dayton has for this iconic timepiece.

Dayton manufacturer and banker, William P. Callahan, built Dayton's first skyscraper in 1892 at the corner of Main and Third Streets, across from the 1850 Old Court House. At nine stories tall it was considered to be Dayton's finest and most modern building. Even before the foundation was laid, Dayton citizens wanted a town clock on the building. Callahan added one a few years later.

But in 1919, plans to enlarge the building to 12 floors did not include the original clock. The public opposition was so great that a Callahan Building tenant, City National Bank, offered to pay for and operate a new illuminated clock. The new clock, above you, officially began to keep time on March 30, 1921.

When City National Bank left the Callahan Building in 1930 they ceased operating the clock. Dayton Power and Light operated the clock as a public service until the mid-1930s. After that, the clock sat as a dormant eyesore for several years. Then in 1938, another Callahan Building tenant, the State Federal Savings and Loan Association, agreed to take over the clock's operation.

[Captions:] , The Callahan Building with the first clock, ca. 1910.

Two workmen putting the finishing touches on the new clock, ca. 1921. Each company that operated the clock put their name on it as a.way of advertising their business. City National Bank operated the clock from 1921-1930, State Federal Savings from 1938-1950, and Gem City Savings from 1955-1978.

The Callahan Building, 1930. The 1921 addition is the lighter part of the building on top of the 1892 building.

The Callahan Building, 1946. The name on the clock was changed to "State Federal Savings" after the bank agreed to operate and maintain it.

State Federal Savings moved out of the Callahan Building in 1950. The building owner took up the operation of the clock until 1955 when the Gem City Savings Association bought the building. The Callahan Building was renamed the Gem City Savings Building and the clock was overhauled. It received new clockworks, new faces, and the red tile roof was replaced with a copper roof.

In 1977, Gem City Savings decided to tear down the former Callahan Building to build a new headquarters. Dayton's City Beautiful Council prompted Gem City Savings to donate the clock to an organization willing to preserve it. In 1978, E.F. "Pat" Strasser, president of Reynolds and Reynolds, agreed to put the clock on the company's headquarters near the interchange of I-75 and U.S. Route 35.

There it remained until 2006 when the Reynolds and Reynolds building was slated for demolition. It was at that moment that Reynolds and Reynolds, Dayton History, and the City of Dayton collaborated to save the clock and give it a new home at Carillon Historical Park.

Inspired, by Dayton History's master plan to return the Callahan Building Clock to the Dayton skyline, the Brethen Foundation stepped forward in 2017 as the champion of the project. The Brethen Tower, on which the clock e now resides, was realized through their generous financial support.

The Gem City Savings Building, 1958. The name on the clock was changed once again to "Gem City Savings" in 1955.

The Gem City Savings Building clock after its removal, 1978.

The Callahan Building Clock on the Reynolds and Reynolds Company headquarters as seen from l-75 (foreground), 1985. The company put "Since 1866” on the clock in reference to the year of its founding in Dayton."

The Callahan Building Clock being moved to its new home at Carillon Historical Park, 2006.

Robert Brethen (at center with white collar and glasses) and his family in front of the Callahan Building Clock at Carillon Historical Park, 2018. The clock was displayed at ground level from 2006 to 2018.