Princeton University Grover Cleveland Tower

Cleveland Tower is a bell tower containing a carillon on the campus of

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...

. Inspired by Boston College's Gasson Hall, the design by Ralph Adams Cram is one of the defining Collegiate Gothic architectural features of the university's Graduate College. The tower was built in 1913 as a memorial to former university trustee and

U.S. President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. Cleveland is the only president in American ...

. A

bust Bust commonly refers to: * A woman's breasts * Bust (sculpture), of head and shoulders * An arrest Bust may also refer to: Places * Bust, Bas-Rhin, a city in France *Lashkargah, Afghanistan, known as Bust historically Media * ''Bust'' (magazin ...

of the former president is the centerpiece of the grand chamber at the tower's ground level.

Class of 1892 Bells

The tower's carillon is a gift of the class of 1892, which presented the

bell A bell is a directly struck idiophone percussion instrument. Most bells have the shape of a hollow cup that when struck vibrates in a single strong strike tone, with its sides forming an efficient resonator. The strike may be made by an inte ...

s as their 35th reunion dedication to the university in 1927. The English foundry

Gillett & Johnston Gillett & Johnston was a clockmaker and bell foundry based in Croydon, England from 1844 until 1957. Between 1844 and 1950, over 14,000 tower clocks were made at the works. The company's most successful and prominent period of activity as a be ...

cast the original 35 bells. A plaque near the tower's entrance reads:

''The Class of Eighteen Ninety Two presents the carillon in this tower to Princeton University with love and gratitude and the hope that its bells may ever inspire coming generations of Princeton men to maintain the traditions of their alma mater in the service of
God In monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Oxford Companion to Philosophy'', Oxford University Press, 1995. God is typically ...
and of their country''

Originally dedicated on June 17, 1927, the bells were rededicated after decades of varying use and maintenance on June 13, 1993. The Class of 1892 Bells are now one of the largest carillons in the world with 67 bells and a bourdon (G) weighing . The Chapel Music Program maintains the carillon program with assistance from an endowment by the class of 1892."Princeton University Carillon in Cleveland Tower"
Accessed July 28, 2007 The bells play Sunday afternoons by university

carillonneur A carillon ( , ) is a pitched percussion instrument that is played with a keyboard and consists of at least 23 cast-bronze bells. The bells are hung in fixed suspension and tuned in chromatic order so that they can be sounded harmonio ...

Lisa Lonie, and weekday evenings by students, except during exam periods. The summer programs include performances by international guests. A carillon practice room is also housed in the Graduate College basement. Lisa J. Lonie, University Carillonneur, is the only fourth carillonneur in the instrument's +80 year history and the first female to hold the position.

References

{{Princeton Carillons Towers completed in 1913 Princeton University buildings 1913 establishments in New Jersey

Class of 1892 Bells

See also

References