The face with no eyes silently keeps watch as the world moves below it.
It stayed, unmoving, a sentinel frozen in time on a recent morning at the Westpost at National Landing shopping center in Pentagon City. One hand stuck between the 10 and 11. The other between 3 and 4.
The people on the patios below pay it no mind, huddled in quiet conversations over coffee. Nor does it draw the attention of the cars driving by on S. Joyce Street. As the sound of water trickles from three small fountains, it remains in place.
Exactly how long has the clock over the headquarters of the Air & Space Forces Association been stuck like this? Hard to tell. The latest image on Google Maps, dated March 2025, shows a different time. But these days, it stays at 10:17.
One tipster told ARLnow it’s been that way since last year, unmoved by complaints.
Repairing a clock of this size is a difficult matter, a spokesperson for the property owner, Federal Realty Investment Trust, told ARLnow.
“We are currently working to repair the clock,” the spokesperson said. “Since it is more than 20 years old, some parts need to be fabricated. We expect to have all the necessary parts by late December, at which time we will proceed with the installation.”
They didn’t say how long it’s been broken, nor did they give an estimate for how long the repair might take.
Beginning on Halloween weekend, the clock will be overlooking the seasonal ice rink in the plaza below it. On Saturdays, the rink will open early enough and close late enough that skaters will get an accurate representation of the time twice a day.
