[WATCH] See the Original Waldorf Astoria Lobby Clock at the New-York Historical Society

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Meet me at the clock! The great Waldorf Astoria clock is a legendary part of New York City lore and a meeting spot for generations of New Yorkers. Originally made for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, it was crafted in London, weighs two tons, and features relief portraits of Presidents Washington, Jackson, Harrison, Lincoln, Grant, and Cleveland, and Queen Victoria of England.

For decades, the clock graced the Waldorf Astoria—both at its first location on 5th Avenue and 34th Street and in the lobby of the hotel's longtime address at Park Avenue and 49th Street. This Waldorf Astoria treasure, along with President John F. Kennedy’s high-back rocking chair, will be on view in the Smith Gallery during the hotel’s renovation.