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Danny Worthington, a crane operator, said he feels proud to have been a part of Dayton history. On two occasions. With the same clock.

When Dayton's most famous clock was lowered from atop the corner building at Third and Main streets in 1978, it was young Danny Worthington who assisted his father, Amon, in operating the Foreman Industries crane that did the job.

Worthington, who is now 58 and operates a crane for the Orbit Movers and Erectors Co., was a part of the team that on Tuesday morning, shortly after 10:30, lowered the 35-foot-tall, 15,000-pound clock tower from the roof of the five-story Reynolds and Reynolds complex on Germantown Street, near the Interstate 75/I-35 interchange.

"It's hard to believe that both times the giant clock has been moved, I was a part of it," Worthington said. "I helped move the clock to its place on top of this building and now I helped bring it down. It is a great feeling being a part of history."

A small crowd was on hand to watch as the blue tower with the white clock was prepared with cables and then lowered to the ground next to the building, which will be razed.

Traffic slowed to a crawl on I-75 as drivers tried to catch a glimpse as the seven-and-a-half-ton clock was slowly lowered to the parking area below.

"We will keep the clock under guard until Wednesday, when it will be moved to a warehouse for temporary storage," said Mike Rhea, a vice president of the Orbit company. "We don't want anyone to vandalize this treasure. We did find some bullet holes in the face on one side of the clock, so someone has already tried to damage it."

Brian West, who was with a group of investors who planned to place the clock on display in a park downtown, was also watching the clock come down. He still has legal custody.

Brady Kress, director of Dayton History, the city's historical organization, was in the crowd.

"Brady is going to sign on the line and take possession of the clock," West said. "That is all we really want, a responsible organization that will preserve the clock."

Kress said he hopes the clock will find a permanent home "hopefully downtown" within the next two years. "We will be checking locations and taking suggestions," he said.

In the meantime, he said there are plans to put the clock on display on the grounds of Carillon Park, "where people can touch it, and see it up close, learn the history of the clock, and take photographs."

He said there is a chance the clock could move to the park and a temporary home there within a couple of weeks.

"There is a lot of interest in the historic clock, and we will work to ensure that it is preserved and has the best treatment possible," Kress said.

The clock, which originally topped the Callahan Building at Third and Main in 1892, became the Gem City Clock after Gem City Savings took over the building in 1955. Reynolds and Reynolds saved it and placed it on its Germantown Street building in 1978.

Doris West of Dayton, the mother of Brian West, was among those looking upward Tuesday as the landmark was slowly lowered to the ground.

"I just pray they find a good place for it, and that the money is available to preserve it so that the children and the grandchildren can enjoy it for years to come," she said. "Let's keep the clock."