On a quiet 5-acre property in the rural town of Lawrence, Kansas, time marches on. It ticks and chimes, thanks to a 2,000-pound antique clock that defines the home known as the Clock House.
“Folks love it,” owner Christine Akey told Homes.com in an email. “Though most are surprised to learn it is not ‘the house where time stands still,’ but rather the house where the clock is wound infrequently.”
In 1980, Akey’s husband, George Davis, purchased the 2,728-square-foot house at 417 Highway 40 W with three bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms. The home, believed to have been built in 1860, is listed for sale with an asking price of $684,000.
Davis was extremely passionate about restoring it, according to Akey.
“At the time, George was a dancing fool,” she said. “He loved dancing and was planning to include a ballroom in the new reincarnation."
However, that plan changed and what was intended to be the ballroom became the kitchen.
Akey added that Davis had help from friends and family when he restored the home.
“George learned the skills of woodworking from his dad,” a carpenter, Akey said. “The floors in the house were hand-cut and laid by George and crew while intentionally using unique historic woods in each doorway.”
Time is a large element of this house
Throughout the house, several antique clocks once sat. Davis, an antiques dealer, loved them. Now, the home contains only the large clock, housed in the attic, and stained-glass windows depicting timepieces.
“George started collecting clocks at the young age of 8 while also dabbling in the world of buying and selling unique trinkets, leading him to a lifelong adventure of antiquing,” Akey said.
She added that as Davis collected antiques, his love and passion for clocks grew because he brought home “many one-of-a-kind and interesting clocks from all over the world.”
That includes the Clock House clock.
“The particular clock of the Clock House was found in 1985 in two different locations,” she said. “The dial is from a courthouse in Newton, Kansas. The clockworks, built in 1916, are from a church in Falls City, Nebraska.”
The clockworks weigh about 2,000 to 3,000 pounds, according to Akey.
“[They] were carried into the lower level of the home piece by piece, restored and transported to the third level, where the parts were put back together,” she said. “The clock is fully functional with cement weights controlling the unwinding.”
The maintenance is minimal, she said, requiring only “a bit of clock oil and a strong arm for winding.” There is a large crank for that.
The clock ticks and chimes the Angelus, which is the Catholic call to prayer, at 6 a.m., noon and 6 p.m.
It was a love born from an appreciation of antiques
Akey and Davis first met in 1980 at an antiques show.
“He lived in Kansas and I in Texas,” Akey said. “We dated, flying and driving to stay in touch for the next year or so before going our separate ways.”
The two met up again years later after Akey read about the possible closure of an antiques show in the newspaper and saw Davis’ name.
“In the course of the article, he had mentioned he was not married, so lo and behold, I called him. The rest is history,” she said.
The couple attended several antiques shows together, and Akey visited the Clock House before they got married in 2022.
It's a place for family celebrations and coffee chats
For Akey, the best memories of the home were the family celebrations, morning coffee chats and community interest in the clock and its history.
“George was an avid storyteller, so the morning coffees could easily extend into lunchtime,” Akey said.
She added that she loves the other structures on the property, including the warehouse and 6,000-square-foot shop.
“The shop changed with the times of the antique business, imports from England to wood-carved Santas from Thailand and clocks from around the world,” she said. “The warehouse and its contents were a treasure hunter’s paradise.”
Akey said it was the neighbors and friends who visited the property “at all times of day” that made it home for her.
“Conversation around the farmhouse kitchen table,” she said. “Watching Chiefs football in the den. Hosting birthday parties.”
Why is she selling?
“[It’s] too much house for one person,” Akey said. “While I love this home, it’s time for a new family or business to start a new adventure.”
She said there has been a lot of interest in the home since it went on the market a little over a year ago. “This house is solid. They truly do not build them like this these days.”
She imagines the home would be suited for many people, including families seeking more seclusion, semi-retirees wanting to start over or someone who wants to launch an antiquing business.
“I hope the property is found and owned by folks with a love for history and a rural lifestyle,” she said. “George passed away in the spring of 2024. The Clock House was a work of passion, expertise and love.”