Central Park’s Bronze Animals Keep Time
A half-hour performance sends six animal musicians around the Delacorte Clock beside the zoo.
Two bronze monkeys stand above the Delacorte Clock with hammers raised toward a bell. Below them, six animals carry instruments. On the hour and half hour, the figures make their circuit above the path beside the Central Park Zoo.
A Clock for the Zoo
Publisher George Delacorte had seen animated clocks during his travels in Europe. He proposed one for Central Park and paid for its construction. The zoo setting gave its designers a ready cast of characters.
Fernando Texidor and architect Edward Coe Embury worked on the design and brick arcade. Italian sculptor Andrea Spadini made the animals. The clock was dedicated in June 1965, with the figures placed high enough to be seen above the people passing underneath.
The ensemble includes an elephant with an accordion, a penguin with drums, a hippopotamus with a violin, a bear with a tambourine, a goat with a horn, and a kangaroo with a French horn. Spadini’s name appears on the bases of the sculptures.
The Machinery behind the Parade
The bronze figures are sculptures mounted on a moving mechanism. Music accompanies their circuit, turning a time signal into a short performance. The monkeys above mark the bell while the musicians revolve below.
The clock has needed care as both an outdoor artwork and a working machine. The Central Park Conservancy restored it in 1995, supported by an endowment from the Delacorte family. A later update replaced the music system with digital equipment.
The tunes change with the season, but the bronze cast remains. Between performances, the animals are still visible from the path between the main zoo and the Children’s Zoo. Waiting for the next half hour reveals which pieces move and how the group travels around its track.
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Sources & photograph
Adapted from the Hidden Here story catalog. Explore the historical records behind this story.
