Campanile
From Rofflehaus
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The Campanile is ISU's bell tower on Central Campus. The symbol of ISU's campus, and a mainstay for Alumni Association calendars.
Underneath the campanile, or around it for mass campaniling, is where campaniling takes place.
A campanile is generally a free standing bell-tower and can house a carillon (a keyboard percussion instrument composed of a range of bells controlled by a keyboard) or just a single bell. ISU's campanile has a 50 bell carillon.
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[edit] History
The campanile was constructed in 1897 – 1898 in remembrance of Margaret McDonald Stanton who died on July 25, 1895. Margaret's husband, Edgar Stanton, with the help of President William Beardshear chose a site on Central Campus. The location is just north of the Memorial Union that was built more than three decades later.
[edit] Construction
The Des Moines architect, George E. Hallett, designed the 110 feet (34 meters) tall campanile that sits on a 16x16 ft. (5 by 5 m) base and was built by the contractor J. F. Atkinson. With the help of president William Beardshear, the state legislature appropriated $7,500 for the tower and clock but the original construction cost was only $6,510.20.
The clock was a Seth Thomas clock and cost $2,200. Later, the class of 1935 purchased the lights for illuminating the clock.
The bricks were from Van Meter, Iowa.
[edit] First bells
In 1899, ten bells were donated in memory of Margaret Stanton by Edgar. These first ten bells were the first "scientifically tuned chime bells" by the Loughborough, England company of John Taylor & Company. JT & Co used a five-point tuning method to regain the lost art of bell tuning.
The largest of these 10 bells is a note that they are dedicated to Margaret McDonald Stanton.
| # | Diameter (feet) | Note | Weight | Total weight (lb) | Inscription | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| cwt | gr | lb | |||||
| 1 | 2′-2.5″ | E | 4 | 0 | 15 | 463 | And soften down the rugged road of life — Kirke White |
| 2 | 2′-4.25″ | D | 4 | 2 | 10 | 458 | Ring merrily, ye chimes, evermore — Charles MacKay |
| 3 | 2′-6″ | C | 5 | 1 | 7 | 567 | Harmonizing this earth with what we feel above. — Shelley |
| 4 | 2′-7″ | B | 5 | 3 | 15 | 575 | My language is understood all over the world — Haydn |
| 5 | 2′-9.75″ | A | 7 | 1 | 3 | 787 | Every deed of goodness done is like a cord set in the heart. — Thomas MacKellen |
| 6 | 3′-2″ | G | 9 | 2 | 19 | 1027 | Sweetly on the evening air Sounds the vesper chimes of prayer |
| 7 | 3′-6.75″ | F | 13 | 3 | 21 | 1477 | And rings a thousand memories At vesper and at prime. — Coxe |
| 8 | 3′-9.5″ | E | 16 | 1 | 21 | 1813 | Music is the child's prayer, The companion of religion. — Chateaubriand |
| 9 | 4′-2.5″ | D | 21 | 2 | 21 | 2373 | A woman that feareth the Lord; she shall be praised — Proverbs XXXI:30 |
| 10 | 4′-9″ | C | 32 | 0 | 0 | 3584 | Then pealed the bells more more loud and deep: "God is not dead; nor does He sleep! The Wrong shall fail The Right Prevail — With peace on earth, good will to men." † |
† by Longfellow but name does not appear on the bell.
[edit] Additional 26 bells
After Edgar Stanton died in 1920, his second wife, Julia Wentch Stanton, requested in 1928 (reported at the Board meeting on July 6, 1928 by president Hughes) that 26 bells be added to the original ten in his memory. She donated up to $24,000.
[edit] Inauguration
The bells were dedicated as the "Edgar W. and Margaret MacDonald Stanton Memorial Carillon" on October 6, 1929 at 4 pm (as reported by the September 23, 1929 edition of The Iowa State Student) with Anton Brees playing. Since this was the first time the bells had been played it was also broadcasted by WOI. The following is a program of what was played:
| # | Song | Composer |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | America | |
| 2 | a) O God Our Help in Ages Past | W. Croft |
| b) Holy Night | Franz Gruber | |
| c) Onward Christian Soldiers | Sullivan | |
| d) Nearer My God to Thee | L. Mason | |
| 3 | Minuet in G | Beethoven |
| 4 | a) How Can I Leave Thee | Mendelssohn |
| b) The Last Rose of Summer | Irish TUne | |
| c) Home Sweet Home | Bishop | |
| d) Going Home | Anton Dvorak | |
| 5 | Volga Boat Song | Russian Melody |
| 6 | Star Spangled Banner |
The addition increased the range of the carillon. Now, the smallest bell weighed 27 pounds with the heaviest bell weighed 5,737 pounds (with a 5′-4″ diameter).
[edit] Electric motor
In the 1930s, the class of 1934 donated the lighted translucent clock faces. The pendulum and weights were replaced with an electric motor.
[edit] Foundation establishment
In 1954, the Stanton Memorial Carillon Foundation was established.
[edit] Addition 13 bells
In 1956, an additional 13 bells and a clavier/keyboard were added by the Stanton Memorial Carillon Foundation.
[edit] The fiftieth bell
Another bell was added in 1967 to make it a 50-bell carillon.
[edit] 1970s renovation
The exterior was coated with an acrylic waterproofing (after being sandblasted) while the interior was insulated & wood paneled and became heated and air conditioned.
[edit] 1990s renovation
Between 1992 and 1994, the campanile underwent renovations with major gifts from:
- Classes of 1940, 1942, & 1987
- The Stanton Memorial Carillon Foundation
- Bobbi and Roy Reiman
- Jean and Michael Steffenson
- Esther and Harold Wilcke
The bells and their supports at the campanile's top weigh nearly 30 tons, with the heaviest bell at 5,737 lbs.
The renovation project was kick started on September 19, 1991 when KCCQ's disc jockey Kenn McCloud locked himself in the campanile until $10,000 had been raised through the "Bucks for Bells" campaign. On September 24, 1991, $10,700 had been raised.
On December 30, 1991, an anonymous donor wrote president Martin Jischke to donate $1 million to permanently endow the campanile.
Following an installation of a mechanical system, the carillon automatically chimes the Westminster quarters since 1994.
[edit] Trivia
- To become a "true Iowa Stater," one must kiss under the campanile as the carillon strikes midnight in an act called Campaniling.
- The campanile has been a popular image to photoshop.
- At noon on the days when classes are in session, Tin-Shi Tam, the university carillonneur, gives short musical performances from 11:50 a.m. to 12:10 p.m.
[edit] Gallery
The bells plaque |
The renovation plaque |
From the south |
The top/clock part |
Behind the Fountain of the Four Seasons |
From the north-west |
Cross-sectional view |
May 1942 by Jack Delano |
[edit] News articles
- The article, All along the bell tower - From music to kisses, Campanile exemplifies tradition at Iowa State, in the 04/09, 1997 edition of the Iowa State Daily is still unavailable due to a change in the Daily's website and general laziness of Rofflehaus contributors. If you'd like to help fix a broken link like this, check out Template talk:ISUD to find out how. Thank you for your patience. (D: 04/09/1997)
- The article, The bells of Iowa State, in the 09/22, 1998 edition of the Iowa State Daily is still unavailable due to a change in the Daily's website and general laziness of Rofflehaus contributors. If you'd like to help fix a broken link like this, check out Template talk:ISUD to find out how. Thank you for your patience. (D: 09/22/1998)
- The article, On Campanile's north side, time doesn't exist, in the 11/05, 2003 edition of the Iowa State Daily is still unavailable due to a change in the Daily's website and general laziness of Rofflehaus contributors. If you'd like to help fix a broken link like this, check out Template talk:ISUD to find out how. Thank you for your patience. (D: 11/05/2003)
[edit] External links
- http://www.music.iastate.edu/carillon/
- Parks Library special collections on the
- Campanile at wikipedia for a list of campaniles
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