Storke Tower
Encyclopedia
Campanile
Campanile is an Italian word meaning "bell tower" . The term applies to bell towers which are either part of a larger building or free-standing, although in American English, the latter meaning has become prevalent.The most famous campanile is probably the Leaning Tower of Pisa...
(bell and clock tower) located on the campus of the University of California, Santa Barbara
University of California, Santa Barbara
The University of California, Santa Barbara, commonly known as UCSB or UC Santa Barbara, is a public research university and one of the 10 general campuses of the University of California system. The main campus is located on a site in Goleta, California, from Santa Barbara and northwest of Los...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Dedicated for use on September 28, 1969, the 61-bell carillon
Carillon
A carillon is a musical instrument that is typically housed in a free-standing bell tower, or the belfry of a church or other municipal building. The instrument consists of at least 23 cast bronze, cup-shaped bells, which are played serially to play a melody, or sounded together to play a chord...
tower stands 175 ft (53 m) tall.
The bells range in size from 13 to 4,793 pounds, with the largest bell carrying the university seal and university motto. Other bells carry quotes and dedications, including "The University is not engaged in making ideas safe for students. It is engaged in making students safe for ideas" (Clark Kerr
Clark Kerr
Clark Kerr was an American professor of economics and academic administrator. He was the first chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley and twelfth president of the University of California.- Early years :...
) and "These bells ring for the freedom of the press and in tribute to Editor-Publisher Thomas More Storke
Thomas M. Storke
Thomas More Storke was an American politician, rancher, journalist and publisher. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Journalism in 1962....
, whose affection for the University made this building possible." At every hour, an electronic control system plays the Westminster Quarters. The system also strikes a sequence at 10 minutes to every hour which spells out the University motto, "Let There Be Light" (with each of the 10 largest bells assigned a letter of the alphabet). The carillon suffered technical difficulties from 1994 to 1999, in 2004, and again in 2007.
Storke Tower is the tallest steel/cement structure in Santa Barbara County
Santa Barbara County, California
Santa Barbara County is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of California, on the Pacific coast. As of 2010 the county had a population of 423,895. The county seat is Santa Barbara and the largest city is Santa Maria.-History:...
. The architects were Clark and Morgan. The tower is named for Thomas M. Storke
Thomas M. Storke
Thomas More Storke was an American politician, rancher, journalist and publisher. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Journalism in 1962....
, a Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
-winning journalist and U.S. senator who resided in Santa Barbara and helped found UCSB. He also contributed funds to the building of the tower and the Storke Communications Plaza, which is situated at the base of the tower. The Plaza houses the university paper (the Daily Nexus
Daily Nexus
The Daily Nexus is the university newspaper for the campus of the University of California, Santa Barbara .Student journalism has always been a part of college life in Santa Barbara, even before the existence of UCSB. Before joining the University of California system, for example, Santa Barbara...
), the radio station (KCSB-FM), and the yearbook office (La Cumbre Yearbook); the top of the tower supports cell phone signal transmitters and a KCSB radio antenna. The open-air area of the Plaza contains a large rectangular pond that functioned as a reflecting pool
Reflecting pool
A reflecting pool or reflection pool is a water feature found in gardens, parks, and at memorial sites. It usually consists of a shallow pool of water, undisturbed by fountain jets, for a calm reflective...
until 2003, when it was transformed into a cost-saving and partially self-sustaining aquatic ecosystem
Water garden
Water gardens, also known as aquatic gardens, are a type of man-made water feature. A water garden is defined as any interior or exterior landscape or architectural element whose primarily purpose is to house, display, or propagate a particular species or variety of aquatic plant...
including koi
Koi
or more specifically , are ornamental varieties of domesticated common carp that are kept for decorative purposes in outdoor koi ponds or water gardens....
and water lilies
Nymphaeaceae
Nymphaeaceae is a family of flowering plants. Members of this family are commonly called water lilies and live in freshwater areas in temperate and tropical climates around the world. The family contains eight genera. There are about 70 species of water lilies around the world. The genus...
.
There have been occasional carillon recitals and courses in how to play the carillon. The tower has also been part of performance art projects.
External links
- Information about Storke Tower on the UCSB Library website, from August 1999, courtesy of the Internet Archive.
- Photos of a tour of Storke Tower in March 2009, including the carillon's keyboard.
- Historical photos from UCSB Photo Services: Storke Tower under construction, Bells before installation, Worker inside the tower.
- A performance of "Still Alive" on the UCSB Carillon, Jonathan CoultonJonathan CoultonJonathan Coulton is an American singer-songwriter, known for his songs about geek culture and his use of the Internet to draw fans...
's blog, June 23, 2008.
