Olympia bar owner restores Miller Brewery clock

The clock that once hung outside the former Miller Brewery along Capitol Boulevard in Tumwater has been restored to its original neon glory.

The clock measures 13 feet tall by 9  1/2 feet wide and has been completely rewired and rebuilt from the inside out.

“Now I don’t know what I’m going to do with it,” said Bob Presley, who owns Weatherguard Roofing and Boulevard Tavern in Olympia. “It’s so much bigger than I thought.”

Presley found the abandoned clock while doing roof work at the former brewery and later bought it from the property’s trustees. Miller took over the old Olympia Brewery property in 1999 and closed it in 2003.

Presley, who collects vintage signs, had initially thought the clock was the original Olympia Brewery sign. Restoration began in September at The Gasworks Factory in Everett, and Presley finally got the clock back Sunday.

The clock’s origins remain a bit of a mystery. Presley said he has been unable to verify whether it was built specifically for the brewery or pieced together from other signs.

He is still deciding whether to display the clock or sell it, and noted he may show off the clock this summer at South Sound Speedway.

This story was originally published May 25, 2016 at 12:56 PM with the headline "Olympia bar owner restores Miller Brewery clock."