Cranford  

 Sundial: 797
State/Province:  New Jersey Country:  USA
Dial Type:  Horizontal Dial Condition:  No Longer Exists
  Latitude and Longitude: 40° 39.983' N  74° 19.391' W
Location:
  • Cranford campus of Union County College, near Fables Pond, and adjacent to William Miller Sperry Observatory
 
Description:
  • A 15 foot diameter horizontal dial with 5 foot high welded stainless steel plate gnomon. The dial face is elevated 18 inches by a white marble-faced platform above a 50 foot diameter concrete plaza that includes inset stainless steel hour line extensions. The dial face is rimmed with Bluestone and has elevated stainless steel hour lines for 4 am to 8 pm and elevated three inch stainless steel Arabic hour numerals. Cardinal directions are marked with elevated 6 inch stainless steel letters.

    The gnomon is a massive "T" weldment of 1/2-inch thick stainless steel plates with a similar angled brace supporting the gnomon on the north. There is some doubt about the correctness of the dial design or construction layout as some of the hour lines seem slightly misplaced. The gnomon root appears to be shifted several inches north but this apparent shift may be due to "crowning" of the dial face to provide water runoff.

    The stonework mortar and concrete dial face deteriorated over the years, leaving the dial in poor condition. Union County College considered a plan to restore or reconstruct the dial and there was a community fundraising effort. In 2019 UCC directed the demolition of the dial and stonework, leaving a gravel patch 15 feet in diameter. The Kiwanis plaque, the cardinal points, and the rest of the dial were, as Dr. Althos Brewer Vice President for Administrative Services at UCC wrote in an email (May 09, 2019), "I am responding on behalf of President McMenamin in regards to the contents of the Sun Dial. After further research into the matter, the contents from the demolition have been disposed."
 
General Information:Inscription:
  • Owner: Union County College
  • THIS DIAL IS THE GIFT OF THE KIWANIS CLUB OF CRANFORD, NEW JERSEY TO MEMORIALIZE ITS INTEREST IN UNION COLLEGE AND THE YOUTH OF CRANFORD 1972
  • Designer: Dean S. Van der Clute, an architect in Cranford
  • Builder: Arthur Williams and the Cranford Kiwanis Club
  • Construction Date: 1972
 

Attachments Available:

Last Revised: 2019-05-10 15:38