The Cook Carillon Tower is a 10- story-tall

carillon A carillon ( , ) is a pitched percussion instrument that is played with a musical keyboard, keyboard and consists of at least 23 bells. The bells are Bellfounding, cast in Bell metal, bronze, hung in fixed suspension, and Musical tuning, tu ...

-clock tower located in the center of the

Grand Valley State University Grand Valley State University (GVSU, GV, or Grand Valley) is a public university in Allendale Charter Township, Michigan, Allendale, Michigan, United States. It was established in 1960 as Grand Valley State College. Its main campus is situated on ...

-Allendale campus in

Allendale, Michigan Allendale is a census-designated place (CDP) in Ottawa County, Michigan, Ottawa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 27,073 at the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census. It is located within Allendale Charter Township, Mi ...

. The tower and carillon were built in 1994 with help from generous donations by Peter C. and Pat Cook for which it is named. The tower is considered to be a major icon of both the university and its campus and creates a notable central focal point on the Allendale campus. The 48 carillon bells are cast of bronze by the

Royal Eijsbouts bell foundry Royal Eijsbouts () is a bell foundry located in Asten, Netherlands. Background The workshop was founded in 1872 by Bonaventura Eijsbouts as a "factory for tower clocks." In 1893 Eijsbouts was joined by his 15-year-old son, Johan, and the worksh ...

and Tower-clock Makers of the Netherlands. The largest bell weighs around 3,000 pounds and the smallest at just 14 pounds with sizes ranging from 51.7 to 7.5 inches. The tower itself is made of brick and stone. The carillon chimes at every quarter-hour throughout the day on a set computerized play system playing the Whittington chimes. The carillon also automatically plays the university's alma mater, "Hail to Thee, Grand Valley" after the noon chimes. However, the bells are also connected to a keyboard and playing chamber located in the middle of the tower, from which a

carillonneur A carillon ( , ) is a pitched percussion instrument that is played with a musical keyboard, keyboard and consists of at least 23 bells. The bells are Bellfounding, cast in Bell metal, bronze, hung in fixed suspension, and Musical tuning, tu ...

can play. GVSU also has another carillon, the

Beckering Family Carillon Tower The Beckering Family Carillon Tower is a carillon-clock tower located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States on the Pew Campus of Grand Valley State University. The tower and carillon was funded and built by Pioneer Construction in 2000. The B ...

, located on the Pew campus in

Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids is the largest city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, United States. With a population of 198,917 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 200,117 in 2024, Grand Rapids is the List of municipalities ...

References

External links

Cook Carillon Tower GVSU webpage
Towers completed in 1994 Grand Valley State University Allendale, Michigan Bell towers in the United States Clock towers in Michigan Carillons Towers in Michigan Buildings and structures in Ottawa County, Michigan 1994 establishments in Michigan {{Michigan-struct-stub

See also

References

External links