Denny Chimes is a 115-foot (35 m) tall campanile tower on the south side of The Quad at the University of Alabama, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The tower was named in honor of George H. Denny, who served as university president from 1912 to 1936 and then again from 1941 through 1942.[2] It is equipped with a 25-bell carillon. The tower is one of the most visible landmarks on campus.[2][3]
The idea of erecting a bell tower on the University of Alabama campus was initially suggested in 1919. It was envisioned as a war memorial for those who fought in World War I.[3] Due to a lack of funding for its construction, the project never materialized.
In the late 1920s, university students were finally successful in collecting the necessary funding to construct a tower, although not as a war memorial. It was done in an effort to dedicate the structure to university president George Denny, after learning of a rumor that he was looking to leave the university and return to his native Virginia.[2]
The tower was built by Skinner, Maxwell and Company at a final cost of $40,000.[3] It was dedicated on May 27, 1929, with GovernorBibb Graves in attendance.[4]
The tower is Art Deco in design. The square white limestone base features pilasters at each corner, with a recessed bay in between. The base is crowned by a molded cornice, which in turn is topped by an eagle, with partially outstretched wings, perched at each of the four corners, where the limestone base transitions to the brick shaft. The base supports a red brick shaft that gradually tapers to a limestone crown featuring a belfry with square pillars separated by partially open neoclassical grills, all topped off by a stepped pyramidal roof of limestone. The limestone was quarried in Alabama, while the bricks are from Virginia, in honor of Denny's home state.[5]
The carillon features 25 cast bronze bells, with the largest having a circumference of about 11 feet (3 m) and a height of 3 feet (1 m).[3] The Westminster chimes ring every 15 minutes, chiming on the hour in addition to chiming other songs or the alma mater as part of university celebrations or holidays.[3] Inside the base is an automatic player that plays roll music in addition to a keyboard console that is used on special occasions.[3] By 1945, the bell carillon was converted into an electronic system and modernized in 1966. For many years, the Alabama organ professor Warren Hutton served as the carillonneur for memorial services and special events, and today the manual organ is played by both university faculty and students.[6]
Surrounding the tower is the Walk of Fame, where captains of the football team have placed their hand and footprints in cement slabs at its base since 1948.[7] The ceremony occurs annually as part of the A-Day festivities, when previous season captains are honored.[8]
^ abcdefVickery, Scottie (September 2, 1998). "For old chimes' sake: Electronic technician keeps bells ringing in UA landmark". The Birmingham News. pp. G1.
