A resurgence of interest in the old Courthouse clock followed the publishing of the interview with Roy Thurman in the East Oregonian in January of 1987. Several interested citizens and club representatives contacted the County Board of Commissioners suggesting that the clock be restored and housed appropriately. Therefore, by May, Jeanne Hughes, Bill Hansell, and Glenn Youngman had appointed the "Umatilla County Courthouse Clock Restoration Committee" and had arranged for the Umatilla County Historical Society to act as sponsor. The new Committee first met on Thursday, 28 May 1987, at 7:30 PM in Room 114 of the Courthouse, under the leadership of Rudy Rada, with LaFrance Grubbs appointed as Vice-Chairman, and Steve Randolph, as Secretary. Frances Bartron agreed to serve as Treasurer.

The Committee didn’t waste any time getting started. Advised that the clock was in relatively good condition and that it was most feasible to restore it to working operation, the Committee voted to proceed with restoration of the clock and rehousing it in a new clock tower. That evening they toured the Courthouse grounds and voted to build the new tower on the northwest corner of the block, at the site of the flagpole, on the corner of SE Court and SE 4th. Also, they asked Lynch, Fitzgerald & Associates, of Pendleton, to serve as architects of the project. It was suggested at this meeting that the sale of name-inscribed bricks be a primary fund-raising effort, and a tentative dedication date was selected, 6 August 1989, the 100th birthday of the clock. Thus began a two and one half year project that eventually led to restoration of the clockworks and the construction of a new clock tower on the Courthouse block in Pendleton.

Preliminary Design of Clock tower
Roy Thurman had done a good job as unofficial keeper of the clock, and in spite of its having been stored for 33 years at the City Shops, very few parts were missing. The clock parts were removed from the County Shops to the old Union Pacific depot, the new home of the Historical Society. There, in the old freight room, the clock was reassembled to demonstrate that after all these years, it still could tick!

Meanwhile, Jim Lynch, one of the principals at Lynch, Fitzgerald, sponsored an in-house design competition and presented the results to the Design Sub-committee. They, in turn, brought two different schemes to the full Committee for final choice, one was rectilinear in format, the same as the Courthouse. The second was an open, arched design, to be built in brick, with the clockworks suspended in a glass house at the top of the tower. This design was chosen by the Committee, because it blended with the Courthouse architecture, yet the arches were reminiscent of the Victorian clock tower on the old, 1889 Courthouse. Both designs also called for a courtyard and brick-paved pathway at the base.

The architects then prepared cost estimates, and the actual cost of such a construction project and pathway beneath it were forecast at about $140,000, while the courtyard, sidewalk improvements at the front of the Courthouse, and relandscaping of this corner of the block, brought the total project estimate in at $200,000. This news cast a shadow over the Committee, but soon the members rallied round unanimously voted to proceed. After all, it was discovered that the new Willamette University clock tower in Salem had cost $225,000. However, all agreed to raise funds for only the $140,000 Phase I, the actual clock tower and pathway. Phase II and III might come later or if more than enough money was raised.

With the clock tower design selected and the restoration of the clockworks underway, the Committee turned towards fund-raising efforts. Two major projects were proposed. First, it was decided to market name-inscribed bricks to pave the pathway and courtyard at the base of the tower. The basic brick would cost $25 per name. Second, the Committee began the "sale" of the clock tower legs, for $10,000 each, in $1000 increments. Kickoff of the fund-raising campaign began on 30 November 1987 with a media blitz, and a personal solicitation to some 250 families and businesses. Marsh’s Mens Wear on Main Street in downtown Pendleton, donated space in their storefront for the Committee to use as a sales table for the bricks and promotional items.

Within days, the first major donation was announced, the purchase by Smith Food Sales of an entire clock tower leg. Also sales of bricks went briskly, especially during the holiday season. Many bricks were purchased in memory of persons, as well as for gifts, so memorial and gift cards were produced for use by the purchasers. Mugs with the Committee logo were also for sale, and within months, two additional designs were added. Also, a limited edition porcelain plate, featuring a drawing of the 1889 Courthouse, arrived in late spring 1988. Hats and visors, key rings, and balloons rounded out the assortment of wares available.

On Thursday evening, 2 June 1988, the restored clockworks were unveiled. The dirty, grimy, gray clockworks that the Committee had first witnessed in operation that November evening, had been transformed into the green, black, and polished brass finery of Victorian machinery used for display. So impressed were they with the restored clockworks, that it was agreed to send it around the County that summer for display. Accordingly, the Clock went to Ukiah, won a trophy in Athena’s Caledonian Days parade, attended the County Fair in Hermiston, and was present at several other events. Then it was placed in the Historical Society’s new museum in the old depot, until the new clock tower was ready for it.

The beauty of the restored clockworks together with the fascination of watching a mechanical clock at work led to the only major design change in the project. In November of 1988, the Committee voted to move the clockworks from the top of the tower to the base, where it could be displayed in a bullet-proof glass or lexan box. This would allow close observation of the workings of a 100-year old mechanical clock.

During the summer of 1988, several new fund-raising efforts were made. The Clock Restoration Auction was held on June 11 and 12, at the old Helen McCune Junior High School in downtown Pendleton. Items from garage sale wares to a weekend for two at the Imperial Hotel in Portland were auctioned off, raising a total of more than $10,000. Also, a special crew of volunteers from Fred Meyer Inc. were flown up from Portland by the company to help with the auction. (Fred Meyer opened a store in Pendleton that summer.) Committee members took tables of wares and brick order forms around to most of the community festivals held in the County that summer and staffed a booth at the County Fair. At the end of the summer a series of four gourmet dinners were prepared, charging $25 per person. Committee members and friends served as staff.

In June 1988, the Pendleton Foundation donated $10,000 for a clock tower leg, thereby putting the Committee past the halfway mark in the fund-raising drive. Then later that year came the biggest donation of all, a $50,000 matching grant from the Fred Meyer Charitable Trust. $25,000 was given outright, while the remaining $25,000 was to be matched by outright funds or donations in kind. Moreover, the Trust wanted to see the entire project built, including the courtyard and re-landscaping, phases which in 1987 the Committee had decided would have to wait. With the improvements around the Courthouse now part of the package, the Umatilla County Board of Commissioners voted to donate $10,000 to the project.

No problem was experienced in meeting the Trust’s $25,000 match as funds continued to come in throughout the fall of 1988 and winter of 1989. In fact, all the legs were "sold" by the fall, so the Committee decided to "sell" the faces of the clock for $3000 each, or in $1000 increments. Brick sales continued to be brisk, averaging over $1000 per month, and increasing during the holidays. January 1st was set as the deadline for brick sales.

When the bids were actually received in February of 1989, they were much higher than anticipated. Though many businesses in town had already donated in-kind services there was not a significant amount of in-kind donations reflected in the bids. Various individuals worked long, hard hours scaling down aspects of the project, working with sub-contractors for reducing bids, etc., and ended up with a contract bid total of $197,000, exclusive of architects fees, costs of restoring the clock, and plaques, which all together resulted in a total project cost of about $235,000.

The Committee took another deep breath, reopened brick sales, scheduled more gourmet dinners, planned a large garage sale, and announced another major donor project. The courtyard was to be provided with 6 benches and another two were proposed on the opposite side of the tower for close viewing of the clockworks. These benches were marketed at $3000 a piece, again in $1000 shares, and by 1 September 1989, all seven of the eight had been "sold" thus topping out the fund-raising program just a little over the revised goal.

Ground-breaking was held at the Courthouse grounds on Tuesday, 25 April 1989, and construction was substantially completed only 3½ months later, in mid-August. The restored clockworks, name-inscribed bricks and landscaping were installed in early September. So, by the dedication day of Sunday, 24 September 1989, the Clock Restoration Project had produced a landmark piece of architecture, housing a valuable, 100-year old restored Seth Thomas clock.

The clockworks, in its glass house at the base of the tower, is driven by 1370 lbs of weights that hang down the side of two of the tower legs and are connected via cable lines and pulleys. The engine, in turn, powers the motion gears that move the minute and hour hands on each face via a complex of gears and drive shaft extending to the top of the tower. The 57’ high tower is crowned with an antique horse and carriage weather vane which symbolizes Frank Frazer and his prize-winning harness racehorse "Chehalis", bred here in Umatilla County. The three new steel clock faces have joined the 1897 original cast-iron face, and the great bronze bell, now cracked, will again ring out the hours. All in all, this tower is a monument to our pioneer ancestors, and to Victorian mechanical design. And yet, its beauty and inspiration are a celebration of today

Clock Restoration Committee Members:Rudy Rada, Chairman LaFrance Grubbs, Vice-Chairman Steve Randolph, Secretary Francis Bartron, Treasurer Eloise Kilby Mike Kilby George Bennett Dr. Louis J.Feves Leah Conner Merledene Harrison Mel Bates Dennis Hachler Bob Hawes Bob Mumm Pauline Gerretson Oliver Sykes Jim Lynch Chuck McCullough Phoebe Sheriff Jeanne Hughes Richard Mayer, Honorary Umatilla County Board of Commissioners Bill Hansell Jeanne Hughes Glenn Youngman Contractor GO Construction, Pendleton, Oregon Architect Jim Lynch Lynch, Fitzgerald & Assoc., Pendleton, Oregon The Committee gratefully acknowledges the many individuals and businesses that contributed their time and materials to the clock restoration project.

Prepared by Umatilla County Planning Department & Printing Department Steve Randolph - Author Julie Alford - Graphics Marguerite Maznaritz - Printing