Century Tower Carillon - Gainesville, FL
N 29° 38.926 W 082° 20.602
17R E 369975 N 3280621
The 157-foot-tall Century Tower houses carillon bells and is a contributing structure in the University of Florida Campus Historic District in Gainesville, Florida.
Waymark Code: WMC69X
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 07/31/2011
Views: 15
"The Century Tower is a 157-foot-tall (48 m) carillon tower in the center of the University of Florida campus in Gainesville, Florida.
Begun in 1953 by the Auchter Company to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the founding of UF's parent institution, Kingsbury Academy in Ocala, it also serves as a memorial for students and alumni who perished in both World War I and World War II. It fulfilled the original campus design of the university's first architect, William Augustus Edwards, which called for a Gothic bell tower as the focal point. However, at the time of its completion in 1956, there was no money to buy bells for the carillon. An electronic bell system was given by J.E. Davis and A.D. Davis, two of the Davis Brothers who controlled Winn-Dixie. This was used until it finally broke down in 1975. In 1976, $200,000 from accumulated student fees was used to buy the set of 49 bells. A Dutch bellfoundry, Royal Eijsbouts bell foundry designed, fabricated and installed the carillon bells in 1979. In 2002 a major gift from the estate of Larry Allen Webb of St. Augustine, Florida, (a distant relative of President Dwight D. Eisenhower) made possible the addition of twelve treble bells (for a total of 61), revision of the carillon playing action, and provision of a complete studio practice clavier with sound samples from ten major carillons throughout the world. The Century Tower Carillon of sixty-one bells was completed in its present form and dedicated on September 11, 2003.
In 2008 the Century Tower became a contributing property in the University of Florida Campus Historic District which was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 20, 1989.
About the carillon
- It has 61 bells and a range span of 5 octaves.
- The entire carillon weighs 57,760 pounds (26,200 kg).
- The smallest bell in Century Tower plays a high C, weighs 26 pounds (12 kg) and has a diameter of 71/8 inches (180 mm).
- The largest bell, called the Bourdon bell, plays a low A-sharp. It is 5 feet (1.5 m) tall, weighs about 7,000 pounds (3,200 kg) and is 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 m) in diameter.
- The carillon chimes each quarter of the hour from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The tune that is played, "Florida Chimes", was written by Dr. Budd Udell, former Chair of the Department of Music at the University of Florida.
- Students at the university can take a carillon class, where they are required to climb the 194 steps in Century Tower to play the bells for a grade.
- The carillon is played using 61 keys (or “batons”) for the hands and 25 pedals for the feet. The musician sits in a small room just below the bell chamber.
- There are fewer than 200 carillons in North America and only four in Florida."
-- Source
A plaque in front of the Century Tower reads:
"The cells of the Century Tower Carillon were cast in 1978 by Koninklijke Eijsbouts of Asten, The Netherlands, and were first rung from this tower on May 14, 1979. Upon the recommendation of President and Mrs. Robert Q. Marston, the carillon is a gift to the campus from students, both past and present, and stands at the center of this community of scholars, marking the movement of time, heralding occasions of importance in the lives of its people, and pealing music of all ages to delight the common spirit."