Burton Memorial Tower

The Burton Memorial Tower on a beautiful winter day. This huge clock tower is located on the Central Campus at the University of Michigan in Ann... more

by Rachel Cohen

Title

Burton Memorial Tower

Artist

Rachel Cohen

Medium

Photograph - Digital Photography

Description

The Burton Memorial Tower on a beautiful winter day. This huge clock tower is located on the Central Campus at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Housing a grand carillon, the tower was built in 1936. The grand carillon, one of only 23 in the world, is the world’s fourth heaviest, containing 55 bells and weighing a total of 43 tons (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. It is located at the University of Michigan campus, and is used for housing education offices. The High-rise tower was designed in an interesting mixture of Art Deco and art moderne architectural styles. At the top is the 43-ton, 55-bell Baird Carillon.
While this building serves as a memorial carillon, it is primarily a conventional high-rise, contains classrooms 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.

Uploaded

March 26th, 2013