Edwin M. Stanton, Secretary of War, acting
upon Major Kingsbury’s request for reassignment,
switched the commanding officers of Rock Island
Arsenal and Watertown Arsenal. Kingsbury’s
successor, General Thomas J. Rodman, obtained
his superior’s approval for design changes
proposed in the Clock Tower Building, and in the
overall plan for an arsenal at Rock Island. The two
major changes approved were the placement of
gables in the ends of the building with windows in
each to light and ventilate the loft, and an increase
in the height of the clock tower by twenty feet to
accommodate the change in the height of the roof.
The Clock Tower, completed in 1867, served as a
support for the main hoist which lifted supplies to
the floors of the main building. General Rodman’s
alterations in the design increased the usefulness
of the building and created a more imposing
structure. Since its construction, the Clock Tower
Building has become one of the most visible and
recognizable landmarks on the Rock Island Arsenal
and of the upper Mississippi River.120