B Street Clock

I’ve loved the big outdoor clocks since I was a child. There’s something about them that conveys the idea of community and continuity. For thousands of years, devices have been used to keep track of time, from sundials to hourglasses, to water clocks, to Stonehenge. The invention of the mainspring in the 15th century allowed for portable timekeeping devices, but they were not very accurate and prohibitively expensive for most. Since many people could not have a watch of their own, the outdoor clocks were all that much more important.

This clock is not particularly ornate, but the bank building has a rich Hayward history. The Bank of Haywards was first constructed here in 1891, later followed by the Anglo California National Bank in 1949. It became Centennial Bank in 1976, and is currently US Bank.

Hayward incorporated in 1876 as “Haywards,” but dropped the “s” in 1893. Bank of Haywards kept the “s,” and it remained Bank of Haywards as long as it existed.