- Burton Tower
The Burton Memorial Tower is a
clock tower located on Central Campus at theUniversity of Michigan in Ann Arbor at 230 South Ingalls Street. Housing a grandcarillon , the tower was built in 1936 as amemorial for University President Marion Leroy Burton (presidency: 1920-1925). The grand carillon, one of only 23 in the world, [cite web | author=Malcolm, Judy | url=http://www.giving.umich.edu/leadersbest/summer2003/bells.htm | title=Gifts of Art Enrich the U-M: Ring Out the Bells | year=2003 | publisher=University of Michigan Office of Development | accessdate=2007-05-04] is the world’s fourth heaviest, containing 55 bells and weighing a total of 43ton s (a grand carillon has a bourdon bell — the name given to the heaviest bell in a carillon and the one that sounds the hour — that weighs at least six tons, and can sound a low 'G').The
monument was constructed in 1935 and finished in 1936. It stands at 10 floors in height. It is located at theUniversity of Michigan campus, and is used for housingeducation offices . TheHigh-rise tower was designed in an interesting mixture ofArt Deco andart moderne architectural styles, constructed with areinforced concrete shell faced withlimestone over a plan convert|42|ft|m square. The design was greatly influenced byEliel Saarinen , who had submitted an earlier scheme. At the top is the 43-ton, 55-bellBaird Carillon . While this building serves as a memorial carillon, it is primarily a conventional high-rise, containsclassroom s for the University of Michigan's school of music, and houses offices for the department of musicology and ethnomusicology.The Burton Memorial Tower was designed by Albert Kahn, who also designed
Clements Library ,Angell Hall , andHill Auditorium for the University of Michigan. Its carillon was donated by Michigan alumnusCharles M. Baird , a lawyer and the first U-M athletic director, and has been christened the "Charles Baird Carillon". Baird had the bells cast inEngland and gave them to the university. He also commissioned “Sunday Morning in Deep Waters”, the fountain on Ingalls Mall between Burton Tower and theMichigan League .After University of Michigan Regent
Sarah Goddard Power committed suicide by jumping to her death from the eighth floor of Burton Tower in 1987, the structure was sightly modified, such as the addition of stops to prevent windows from opening more than a few inches.The University of Michigan has two grand carillons, barely two miles apart. The other is housed at the Ann and Robert H.
Lurie Tower on the North Campus.tatistics
The tower
* Building height: convert|212|ft|m
* Tower specification: convert|41|ft|m x 7inch es square
* Floor area: convert|19848|sqft|m2
* Designer:Albert Kahn
* Final cost (1936): $243,664.61
* Recent renovation cost: $1.8 million
* Construction date: 1935 to 1936
* Construction materials:reinforced concrete shell, faced withlimestone
* Dedicated on:December 4 ,1936
* Dedicated to: U-M PresidentMarion Leroy Burton (Presidency 1920–1925)Charles Baird Carillon
* Location: Atop the Burton Memorial Tower
* World position: Tied for fourth heaviest carillon in the world
* Technical Specification:
** No. of bells: 55
** Total weight 43 tons
** Largest bell: 12 tons; strikes every hour
** Smallest bell: 16.5 pounds
** Height of support: Bells hang convert|120|ft|m above campus
** Others: Bells are stationary, and only the clappers move via mechanical linkage
* Cast by:John Taylor Bellfoundry , inLoughborough , England, in 1936 and 1975References
External links
* [http://www.umich.edu/~urecord/0102/Nov05_01/18.htm Burton Memorial Tower from "The University Record" (November 5, 2001)]
* [http://websvcs.itcs.umich.edu/regntpro-bin/search.py?moreItems=0&phraseId=5661 Historical Records from the University of Michigan Regents' Proceedings]
* [http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=123247 Burton Memorial Tower details at Emporis.com]
* [http://www.skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=10526 SkyscraperPage.com's Profile on Burton Memorial Tower]
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