Probably not of significance to collectors here, but on the chance that it might have an effect:

Fire destroys landmark former Ill. clock factory

2 teens are charged with setting the blaze

Associated Press
1/1/2012

PERU, Ill. — A fire at a massive former clock factory that police say was deliberately lit provided an eerie backdrop for a northern Illinois city's New Year's celebrations, and despite the efforts of firefighters from throughout the area, the city landmark was destroyed.

The blaze at the former Westclox Co. clock complex, which covers a two-by-four-block span of downtown Peru, began around the time people were counting down the last seconds of 2011, Gary Eccles, an engineer with the city's fire department, told The Associated Press. By 11 a.m. Sunday, the fire was burning itself out but had destroyed the building and caused it to cave in on itself, he said.

Police Chief Doug Bernabei said at a news conference Sunday that two teenage boys, a 15-year-old from Peru and a 17-year-old from La Salle, were charged with aggravated arson. The older teen, who's being charged as an adult, appeared in court Sunday and a judge set his bond at $250,000, according to the News Tribune.

LaSalle County State's Attorney Brian Towne said the two teens entered the building, poured gas from a can they found there onto a boat stored inside, set it on fire and then left, the newspaper reported. Towne said a tip that an anonymous caller gave Peru police led officers to the two suspects.

The fire, which caused propane tanks to explode, prompted a mandatory evacuation of homes near the complex. But Eccles said that by 11 a.m., nearly everyone was allowed to return home. Those who weren't were being kept out because the smoke from the fire was blowing directly at their homes.

The building, a landmark in the city that once housed Westclox Co.'s clock and watch-making operations decades ago, currently houses several small businesses, including a salon, a photo business, a lab and others, the newspaper reported.

Westclox built 44 structures at the complex from 1910 until 1956, then closed in 1980. A group of investors bought the building and sold it to developers in 2006, who said they planned to convert it into a retail and convention center while maintaining its history integrity.

The National Park Service in 2007 deemed the building eligible for the National Registry of Historic Places "because of its significant contributions to the social and economic development of Peru and the nation," the newspaper reported.

© 2012 The Associated Press.

I omitted a couple of paragraphs for brevity here, but they were mostly "local color."

So far as I'm aware, Westclock made mostly "utility grade" clocks that wouldn't be of much interest to collectors but might be to "accumulators" who collect almost anything; but I'm not really familiar with much clock history.

According to the story, any Westclock records probably had been removed some time ago, so even loss of history of their products wasn't likely to have been affected.

John