Description of Historic Place

An imposing monument to pioneer W.H. Ladner, this six-metre high granite clock tower is situated in front of the old Delta Municipal Hall at the corner of Delta and Bridge Streets in the centre of historic Ladner village. The old Hall is now the home of the Delta Museum & Archives.

Heritage Value

The Ladner Clock Tower is valued as a civic memorial to one of Delta's most revered pioneers, William Henry Ladner, who served a number of terms as reeve between 1880 and 1906, and was Member of the Legislature from 1886 to 1890. He died in 1907, and this clock tower was dedicated by his children in 1932. A bronze plaque on the clock tower lists Ladner's contributions to the Delta community. Erected during the difficult early years of the Depression, this monument served as a public demonstration of civic pride at a time when the community was faced with economic hardship.

The Ladner Clock Tower is also valued as a superior example of masonry construction, that exemplifies the emerging modernistic styles of the 1930s. With its tapered square body and random ashlar granite construction, this memorial reflects the abandonment of traditional architectural motifs and a reliance on pure form and unadorned surfaces. The masonry work is notable, consisting of over thirty tons of Nelson Island granite, in monumental blocks with what was referred to as 'snake work finish' joints. Construction on the monument started in late 1931. The stonework was undertaken by Joe B. Bregani, who had apprenticed as a stonemason over fifty years previously in Italy. Noted local jewellers, O.B. Allan, supplied the four-faced clock.

Source: Corporation of Delta Planning Department

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that define the heritage character of the Ladner Clock Tower include its:
- prominent corner location
- masonry construction of massive Nelson Island granite blocks laid in random ashlar bond with raised tuck pointing
- elements of modernistic design, such as the tapered, unadorned wall surfaces
- clock face on each of the four sides of tower, and a bronze dedicatory plaque
- associated site features such as foundation plantings, hedges, adjacent street trees, the historic 1912 Delta Municipal Hall and the 1932 Totem Pole