The famous clockmaker Seth Thomas made a set of five street clocks, replicas of a clock in the town square of Bern, Switzerland. Columbia has two of these clocks, the others are in Boston, New Orleans, and San Francisco. The older of the two in Columbia stands in front of Sylvan Brothers Jewelers on the northeast corner of Main and Hampton streets. Sometime between 1908 and 1910, this four- faced clock replaced a two- faced clock originally at the site.

The first clock faced north and south, but when traffic picked up along Hampton Street, the four- faced clock was purchased. The other clock, on the southwest corner of Main and Washington, belonged to Standard Federal Savings and Loan. Both clocks sit on top of a fluted column featuring a Corinthian capital. Each has a round face with Roman numerals. Ornately detailed, with the heads of four lions with circular bits, they have their original internal mechanisms of brass cogs, pulleys, iron weights, and pendulums. Twice a week they are hand- wound with a crank.