Every 15 minutes for the past 125 years, the Bells of Iowa State have been heard across campus.

The Campanile and the Carillon it contains is a pinnacle landmark of campus, often featured in graduation photos and weddings, and is a must stop for alumni returning to campus. 

On the north side of the campanile, a terra cotta plaque is inscribed with the message, “These chimes are dedicated in hallowed memory of Margaret McDonald Stanton by her husband Edgar W. Stanton.”

Edgar W. Stanton’s original plan was to install a carillon, a musical instrument made of cast bronze cup-shaped bells that have been tuned to sound harmonious together, in the corner of the former Margaret Hall, dedicated to his wife, Margaret Stanton, after her death. When it was revealed that the building would not structurally hold the bells, plans for the campanile developed.

The initial amount was donated by Edgar W. Stanton in 1895, although construction didn’t begin until 1897 and was finished in 1899. The cost to build the tower was $6,510.20, and the bells were $4,271 at the time, translating to $254,114.28 and $166,711.02 in today’s economy, respectively. 

The initial 10 bells were the first of their kind to be scientifically tuned, exported from the Taylor Bell Foundry in Loughborough, England, and established the Campanile in October 1899.

In 1929, 26 more bells and a playing console were added through the Stanton estate, establishing the carillon as an instrument. In 1956, 13 additional bells were added through the Stanton Memorial Carillon Foundation, and the 50th bell was added in 1967, completing the instrument.

The 50 bells range in size, accounting for 30,855 pounds of material. The smallest weighs nine pounds, with the largest clocking in at 5,484 pounds. The largest bell is dedicated to Margaret Stanton and includes an inscription.

An estimated 100,000 bricks make up the 110-foot structure, which was designed by Iowa architect George E. Hallett. The tower, which was designed in Italian Renaissance style, has its roots in midwestern material.

Some of the more visible bricks have “Des Moines” imprinted on them as an indication of where they are from. According to the Ames History Museum, the base and steps of the tower are made of Bedford limestone, buff pressed brick from Van Meter, Iowa, and terra cotta manufactured in Chicago.

The most recent renovations occurred between the summer of 1992 and fall of 1994, and featured a restoration of exterior facades, a new transmission system and updates to the carillon playing cabin. 

Along the 79-step staircase to the playing cabin is the old, mechanical clock system, which is no longer in use. The campanile is now kept in time by a computer system.

While the renovations meant that the chimes would run on an electronic system, student and staff carillonneurs have been the hands and feet behind the bells for a noon concert every day class has been in session since 1994. 

Dr. Tin-Shi Tam, university professor of music and theatre, has been the university carillonneur for 31 years, joining the university after the completion of the 1994 renovations. She said the first song she was assigned to play was “Bells of Iowa State,” and later admitted it remains her favorite song to play. 

However, opportunities are endless for the carillon, which can play almost any tune. While walking past the campanile, you can hear a range of songs, from the classical work of “La Fille aux Cheveux de Lin” by Debussy to a tune about the yellow brick road of the Wizard of Oz. 

Tam, who wanted to keep her identity as a minor detail in this story, as to preserve the tradition of the campanile, said preserving the legacy of the campanile is about keeping its mystery alive. 

The traditions of the campanile should be passed on from generation to generation, Tam said. The biggest mystery is what goes on inside the playing chamber.

Behind the clock faces is an air-conditioned, climate-controlled playing cabin, similar in size to a traditional dorm room. The center of the room houses the playing console, which resembles that of a keyboard or organ. 

Notice the bottom row of keys: starting from the left, the first 10 keys are for the initial 10 bells. These bells also had the most worn look; it was easy to tell they had been in use. 

Carillon bells are hung in the top section of the tower and are connected by wires to the playing console, which you can see above the music stand. The keyboard contains wooden levers and pedals, which carillonneurs strike with their hands and depress with their feet. 

Additionally, the playing cabin is equipped with speakers, a microphone and the capabilities to livestream via fiber optics and Wi-Fi. In the past, Tam said this has allowed the campanile carillon to play at the same time as an orchestra concert in the Martha-Ellen Tye Recital Hall.

A smaller campanile model was completed in 2016 as a form of education and outreach for the carillon program. It was designed to be portable, and it travels to surrounding schools and events to teach about the mechanics of the carillon. 

Monthly model campanile-carillon concerts are held in Sukup Hall once a month, where students from the carillon class perform on the model carillon.

One of the performers, Carolyn Riedel, an aerospace engineering assistant teaching professor, got involved with the model campanile as soon as she found out that opportunities to learn the carillon were available.

“I found out that you can take lessons,” Riedel said. “So I emailed Dr. Tam and auditioned, and was able to start taking lessons.”

Riedel explained that the campanile has had two different transmission systems, both showcased in the 1:5 model. 

The first system, which was used before the 1992 renovations, is a roller bar transmission system. When you pull the key for that system, a lever rolls a bar, which then goes and holds the clapper. 

“That takes up a lot of space, so in the renovations in 1994, we changed it all to a radial system,” Riedel said. 

In the radial system, Riedel said the lever arms surround a radius, helping to condense the planes. 

“It’s a way for us to show the history of the carillon and the instrument revision as we’ve gone through it,” Riedel said.

Addie Hartmann, a sophomore in biology, said an interaction at Clubfest led to her involvement in the student carillonneur leadership council. 

“I learned more about the model project, and then I thought this was a really cool class, and I wanted to be a part of it,” Hartmann said. 

While the bars of the carillon resemble those of a keyboard or organ, Hartmann said there is a lot that goes into it. 

“You play with your hands and your feet,” Hartmann said. “Your limbs are pretty involved.”

The next campanile-carillon model concert will take place Nov. 7 in Sukup Hall. Tours of the campanile are available to groups of nine or smaller. To schedule a tour, click here.

“It’s a really cool instrument,” Hartmann said. “It’s really intricate.”