Before the clock came down, it kept ‘Mr. Albany’ time

For nearly 25 years, the street clock at Solano and Kains ran four minutes fast — a tribute to Jerome Blank's punctuality.

Blank was a real estate developer, businessman, philanthropist and longtime public servant credited with shaping Albany — especially Solano Avenue — into what it is today. He served 14 years on the Albany City Council and was elected mayor in 1953 at age 33, making him the youngest mayor in city history.

"Everyone called him Mr. Albany," his daughter, Deborah Blank, told Albany Scanner. "Even in his last year, he gave everything he had to the residents here. He was just so proud of Albany."

On March 20, 2001, his last birthday, the "Mr. Albany" clock was formally unveiled. Blank died nine months later at age 81. Over 200 people were in attendance at the unveiling, according to a 2001 SFGATE article.

Residents raised money through private donations to erect the clock in his honor, placing it at an intersection on the Solano Avenue commercial corridor, across from the now-closed Albany Twin cinema, where his legacy is particularly felt. 

"My dad could see that there could be so much more in Lower Solano," Deborah said. "It is what it is today because of him."

The clock was damaged earlier this summer and city staff confirmed Monday it would not be restored in time for the Solano Avenue Stroll.

"We are looking into replacing it and don't have a timeline yet," said Brennen Brown, city spokesman.

For Deborah, its damage is also an opportunity to remind Albany residents of her father's enduring legacy — one that, much like the clock, has stood the test of time.

Building up a community

Blank returned to Albany after serving in the U.S. Navy and opened a real estate office on Solano Avenue in 1946. Over the following decades, he developed apartment buildings in Albany and El Cerrito and helped shape what is now Albany’s main commercial district.

The 2001 SFGATE article also credited Blank with developing Albany's largest shopping center and paving the way for the city’s first Safeway on Solano Avenue. 

But Deborah said her father's approach to real estate was about more than development.

"He would drive around all of his properties every single day,” she said. "And if he saw if there was a light out or graffiti or something, he would get it fixed within 24 hours. He was that kind of landlord."

Blank even recruited local teenagers to help him tackle graffiti, she recalled.

"He would pick these kids up in his Cadillac, and they would go up and down Solano, and wherever there was graffiti, they would try to paint over it," Deborah said.

Blank also had a reputation for working long hours. Even as his health deteriorated near the end of his life, he continued selling real estate and participated in city affairs when he was able.

"He believed in building Albany up. He refused to stop working," Deborah said. "But he absolutely loved every minute of it."

Remembering ‘Mr. Albany’

By the time the street clock was dedicated, Blank, originally from Chicago, had spent the majority of his life in Albany. 

The inscription read "Jerome Blank. Mr. Albany.”

Blank, who was battling cancer, told newspapers at the time that he was surprised by the tribute.

"I had no idea that anything like this would happen," he said. 

The clock, meanwhile, has had a history of its own.

In July 2007, a hit-and-run driver smashed into it. A 2007 East Bay Times article reported that the clock would not be repaired in time for that year's Solano Stroll, as city officials initially hoped.

The manufacturer recommended replacing the clock entirely, at an estimated cost of about $12,000. But then-Public Works chief Rich Cunningham told the newspaper the recommendation seemed "kind of cavalier," and officials sought out clock repair specialists to determine how much of the original clock could be salvaged.

Blank's widow, Muriel, and his daughter Deborah offered to pay for the repairs. But again, residents wanted to contribute.

"We’re touched and grateful that people want to help," Deborah told the newspaper at the time.

A restoration fund was established at the Albany branch of Bank of America. The clock was repaired and replaced — and for Deborah, the unfortunate incident remained a fitting tribute to her father because of his deep concern for the city and its residents.

"He was always concerned about people's safety driving on Solano and crossing the street," she said.

Nearly 20 years later, it has been damaged again.

On June 8, word began to spread among community members that the clock was on the ground again.

A man sitting in a nearby coffee shop heard a loud crash. The top of the large vintage clock had fallen over, smashing the glass at Mr. Dewie's ice cream shop.

"Maybe the pedestal was already corroded or damaged, maybe a wind gust was the last straw, but it did go down on its own," said local resident Amy Smolens.

Writing in the News for Albany Facebook group, Jerome Blank's daughter Marcia Kelly chimed in: "I’m hunkering down in a tornado warning here in Kansas. I expected my house to be hit. I didn’t expect the clock to go down in California! It’s a darn shame."

The original clock was funded through private donations, leaving questions about who would take responsibility for replacing it this time. While Blank's name may not be familiar to everyone who remembers the damaged clock, Deborah hopes the memorial can be restored.

“I miss him very much, and I know so many others in the city do, too," she said. “And so that's why the clock means so much to me, but also to so many others.”

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