To spot the Keuffel and Esser Manufacturing Complex, look for the sturdy concrete building with rows of large windows and a tall, four-sided clock tower rising above the roofline-it's the one that looks like time is always watching you!
Now, picture yourself in front of this impressive building over a hundred years ago. The air is filled with the clatter and clink of tools, and there’s a steady hum of workers inside, drafting the world’s maps, buildings, and blueprints using top-notch instruments. But in 1905, disaster struck-flames ripped through the original factory, sending smoke billowing into the Hoboken sky. Yet, within just two years, out of the ashes rose this brand new, clock-topped building, stronger and grander than before. From 1907 to 1968, Keuffel and Esser’s engineers and draftsmen worked away here, creating the rulers and slide rules that shaped cities and inventions. The west building, where you’re standing now, is called the Clock Towers-no wonder with that giant clock looming overhead! And the east side-once gritty with draftsmen and blueprints-was transformed into Grand Adams Apartments in the 1980s. Now, instead of the buzz of industry, there’s the hum of neighbors coming home for dinner. But if you listen closely, maybe you’ll hear an echo of pencils scratching paper or the ghost of a lost sock from a rushing draftsman! Quite the upgrade from ashes to apartment keys, wouldn’t you say?
