Photo: Karyn Regal / WBZ NewsRadio
LAWRENCE, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — After it was nearly torn down decades ago, the world's largest mill clock tower is back under the scalpel of a family-run operation that has taken care of the structure in Lawrence for years.
75-year-old Rich Balzer of Balzer Family Clock Works climbed the creaking, almost vertical stairs leading up the Ayer Mill Clock Tower, while carrying heavy pieces of restoration equipment by hand. On the way up, he told WBZ's Karyn Regal that the tower is not exactly what it seems at first glance.
Balzer says the clock face that illuminates the night sky over Lawrence is the massive movement that the family has brought back to life, saving it from demolition in the early nineties.
"That's the dial, this is the cause and that's the effect, it's better to notice the display of what this is doing— this my girl," Balzer said.
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Officials say the Ayer Mill Clock Tower will be back up and ticking in as little as a few weeks. The tower is cared for by the Essex County Community Foundation, a nonprofit organization that aims to "improve the quality of life in the 34 towns and cities" in the county.
WBZ's Karyn Regal (@Karynregal) reports.
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