U of D Mercy Memorial Bell Tower - Detroit, MI
Posted by: 
scrapcat
N 42° 24.823 W 083° 08.284
17T E 324077 N 4697927
The main campus was opened in 1952 and is marked architecturally by the University Clock Bell Tower, a structure built as a memorial to U of D students lost in World War 1.
Waymark Code: WMCD03
Location: Michigan, United States
Date Posted: 08/23/2011
Views: 3
From The Varsity News:
The World War I memorial clock tower is the most photographed representative of UDM's campus - more so than any coach, player or faculty member. Its iconic image is part of postcards from the 1930s, most current university admissions literature and even the nameplate of this newspaper.
The clock tower needs constant upkeep. It is home to the powerhouse, which contains boilers and centrifugal chillers, and it must be monitored by at least one employee 24/7, 365 days a year. Falcons do inhabit the tower's peak; they return each spring and have eyasses, baby falcons, in their nest atop the tower.
The only time in the university's history when students had permission to use the clock tower was when the university had an ROTC program. The ROTC program had its participants repel up and down the tower as part of training.
This waymark is best accessed via the entrance on McNichols Road. Parking is very close to the clock/bell tower. As you approach, you will see, etched in the base:
"TO THE UNIVERSITY OF DETROIT MEN WHO DIED IN THE WORLD WAR 1914-18
OUR HONORED DEAD
JOHN DesCHAMPS – CHARLES HARRISON – LOUIS
MANS – EDWARD J BURNS – THOMAS G KENNEDY
ALFRED FULLER – ROGER S MCNAMARA – JAMES
WILLIAMS – LIONEL ESLIN – RUSSEL McBREARTY
WILLIAM J WILKINSON – THOMAS ABERY
FROM RELATIVES, ALUMNI & STUDENTS"
Address of Tower:
4001 W McNichols
Detroit, MI USA
48221
Still Operational: yes
Number of bells in tower?: 1
Relevant website?: [Web Link]
Rate tower: 
Tours or visits allowed in tower?: No
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Visit Instructions:
Please post an original picture of the tower taken while you were there. Please also record how you came to be at this tower and any other interesting information you learned about it while there.