Clocks Forced onto Souvenir Buildings

There are tasteful souvenirs and then there are those that are not.  Souvenir makers have longed attempted to make ‘two-fers.’ Its not just a souvenir of the monument, but it’s also a thermometer or inkwell or Bank or …you get the idea. Many times, the second use can be integrated into the souvenir buildings fairly well. A tall, thin tower like the Washington Monument can sport a thermometer stuck to its side. However, one addition that defies reason for me is the clock. Sure, a working clock can fit well into Big Ben’s clock tower. But too often clocks are forced into a souvenir building and are wildly incongruous. “We interrupt this architecture with a large, out-of-place clock face which has nothing to do with the building itself.“ From the U.S. Capital, to Castles, to the Leaning Tower of Pisa, below are some photo examples of buildings defaced with a clock face. Despite my misgivings about these clocks, I still own a few of these in my collection.